


A Blue Moon Rising

by Hedone (AttackPlatypus)



Series: The Premier Wrestling Federation [1]
Category: Impact Wrestling | Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Professional Wrestling, Ring of Honor, World Wrestling Entertainment, 新日本プロレス | New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Genre: Professional Wrestling - Freeform, Social Anxiety, Training, Wrestling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-06-16 12:51:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 105,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15437424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AttackPlatypus/pseuds/Hedone
Summary: An AU following a trainee (but hopefully eventually a group of them) as they progress through 'The Premier Wrestling Federation Training and Development Center' or, as it's more commonly known, The Forge. Who is this trainee? The Blue Moon Rising herself: Sonya North, a talented but extremely shy indie wrestling darling who is struggling to find her footing and confidence as she works toward the fulfillment of her PWF dreams.Note: My co-creators and I are still eagerly seeking co-creators for this work. I feel like it will be at it's best when we have a few people people all writing distinct and memorable characters than can weave in an out of each other's stories. Maybe even a few big 'all hands on deck' collaborative works? If you're interested PLEASE let me know, I'd love to talk about it with you.





	1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

Sweat shone on Sonya North’s face as she jogged down the quiet street. It was January in Minnesota so the sweat cooled almost instantly but it was quickly replaced as she began the final uphill stage of her run. Despite the burning in her legs and lungs Sonya was grateful to be outside, it meant she got to escape the Forge. Or as it was more properly known ‘The Premier Wrestling Federation Training and Development Center’.

Today was her first official day of training there and so far it had lived up to it’s fearsome reputation. As was her custom Sonya had arrived WELL before the appointed time, she had a superstitious horror of being late to things. This had less to do with any sort of principled stance on punctuality and more with having a dread of being the girl who showed up late and had everyone staring at her. 

Sonya INFINITELY preferred to blend into the background. She didn’t often succeed however. With her long hair that fell past her shoulders colored a royal blue and her naturally shining blue eyes, she’d been told that she was very striking. Of course she treated these remarks like she did all other compliments and disregarded them. She thought of herself as painfully plain and did her best to keep out of the view of crowds. Thus her hang up about being late.

Of course when you’re supposed to be somewhere at eight thirty in the morning and you arrive at four forty-five that can cause problems too. She’d been relieved to find that the Forge had been unlocked and that the inner doors had accepted the password she’d been provided with. But left with more than three hours of spare time she’d decided that she might as well begin to warm up. She’d made her way to what was called the ‘main floor’ of the facility and had set to work. But her warm ups, while thorough, didn’t actually take multiple hours. Not even one whole hour actually. And so, left with a lot of free time in one of (if not THE) most prestigious professional wrestling schools in the world she’d decided to indulge herself. 

Sonya North was an extremely awkward person, and not in the way a lot of girls liked to joke about. The idea of meeting new people was often enough to get her shaking and even breathing fast. Her words tended to be either mumbled so low that people didn’t catch them or spat out so fast that they emerged as a single sound. About the only time Sonya felt she could make herself truly understood was when she flew. 

This was why Sonya, someone whose introversion bordered on agoraphobia, had become a wrestler. On the surface it seemed like an odd choice, someone like her entering what was basically a performance art. But when Sonya flew through the air she felt as though she was able to connect with an audience in a way she could never manage through traditional communication. When she was flying she was free, when she was flying she was part of the whole.

And so, secure in the knowledge that there was no one around to see, she’d done just that. Starting with a few basic second rope leaps she’d progressed through more and more complicated maneuvers. Insensibly she found herself moving from corkscrew moonsaults to springboard shooting star presses. The kind of maneuvers that had captivated indy audiences for the last few years. Indeed the kind that had gotten her the invite to the forge. 

Of course while she felt most at home in the air she could never quite shake her self consciousness, at least not fully. She wouldn’t have been doing these things if she’d thought she had an audience. In front of a crowd was one thing but when it was just her in the echoing vastness of the main floor it somehow felt more intrusive. She’d checked several times throughout but hadn’t noticed anyone. Yet it seemed she may have had an observer the whole time.

The main floor was actually an enormous rectangular room at the center of the forge. It was large enough to fit five rings inside it, four traditional squares and one six sided. Around it’s perimeter ran a running track and along each wall on the first and fourth levels were rows of windows. The first floor simply revealing the side hallways that led to other rooms. The fourth floor windows were, she suspected, viewing galleries.

It was as her feet hit the canvas hard after a standing shooting star, that she noticed something unusual. High on one of the walls one of the observation rooms had a light on. And Sonya would have sworn that for a single moment she saw a dark silhouette staring down at her. But before she could react the light went out, hiding anything or anyone inside from sight. 

Still this had been the end of her flying for that day. Suddenly self conscious once more she’d decided that she would go back to more basic workouts. And that was what she’d been doing as more and more people had arrived. Sonya assumed they’d all received the same email that she had. Instructions for them to show up, change, and warm up. And as the room had filled Sonya had felt herself retreating further and further into her shell.

This always frustrated her as she WANTED to be friendly and outgoing but something always held her back. And that day she was reduced to silently hoping that no one would come over and use the same ring she was in. She got her wish for a long time but all good things had to end eventually.

“Excuse me, can I use this ring too?” a voice had asked from behind her. Turning Sonya had seen a short woman standing on the apron looking somewhat sourly at her. Sonya thought of her as short but of course she was taller than Sonya, who barely crested 5’1”. 

“Say yes you dummy, it’s just one WORD” she’d raged internally at herself. But as usual she’d been tongue tied. She often felt this way when people addressed her unexpectedly, as though she’d been caught off guard. In the end she’d had to resort to nodding with a smile that she’d meant to seem friendly but felt painfully awkward.

“Uh...thanks” the other woman had said as she’d ducked under the second rope. She had long dark hair and equally dark eyes that contrasted heavily with her pale skin. Sonya had the odd feeling that she’d seen the other woman before but couldn’t remember where.

To her great relief however the other woman didn’t seem any more interested in talking than Sonya was. She too began warming up though Sonya was interested to note that she didn’t seem all that comfortable in a wrestling ring. She ran the ropes in a tentative manner and seemed hesitant about drop drills. This wasn’t to say she wasn’t athletic as she also launched herself through a series of gymnastics that impressed even Sonya.

They’d been content to simply ignore each other until another voice spoke up asking “excuse me? Are you Mckayla Maroney?”. Both women turned to see a huge man with skin that seemed to be stretched dangerously taught over bulging muscles. He had a dark mohawk and piercing eyes that were riveted on the dark haired woman.

“Yeah…” McKayla Maroney said in a half suspicious half bored sounding voice.

“Hey I’m Shawne Merriman…” the man said as he stepped through the ropes and walked over to McKayla with a hand extended “...and I gotta say damn girl, I’m a big fan of yours”.

“Oh, that’s great...thanks” McKayla said sounding fully bored with the conversation now. It was clear to Sonya that she couldn’t have cared less who Shawne Merriman was a fan of.

“I mean I watched you in the Olympics and shit but those instagram photos? Damn girl you gotta let me holla at you” Merriman said as he took another step toward McKayla. The mention of the Olympics jogged something loose in Sonya’s mind. Now she remembered where she’d seen this girl before. McKayla Maroney had become famous for her ‘unimpressed’ face at a medal ceremony a few years ago. Sonya hadn’t realized that she’d become a wrestler since then.

“I’m sorry I can’t I’m working out with....what's your name?” McKayla asked as she turned to address Sonya. Sonya, who had just been rope walking, quickly let herself drop down to the mat as her insides squirmed.

“COME ON! Just say your name!” she roared at herself in her head. 

“Uh...S-Sonya North” she muttered. She winced instantly as she kicked herself for sounding like such an idiot.

An expression of distaste crossed McKayla’s face as she asked “what are you not sure what your name is?”.

“No...yes...I mean...yes” was all Sonya could stammer as, to her fury, she felt her face go red.

“Can you like not talk?” Mckayla asked in a voice that made it seem like she wasn’t sure what kind of strange species Sonya was. This made Sonya’s face burn even hotter and this wasn’t improved when Merriman laughed sycophantically. Sonya was trying desperately to think of something, ANYTHING, to say when a whistle drew all eyes to one of the doors.

“New trainee’s over here NOW” came a harsh shout. The person who had shouted was an athletic looking man with a hard looking face. He had very short brown hair and muscles that seemed almost out of place on someone who appeared to be well into middle age. 

Grateful for any reason to extract herself from the presence of Maroney and Merriman, Sonya had rolled out of the ring and hurried over. There were about thirty people who had been training on the main floor and now they formed a loose semi-circle around the newcomer. For his part he simply glared at them all looking none too impressed.

After a long pause he said “my name is Ken Shamrock and I am the head instructor here at the forge. Over the next two weeks it is my job to break each and every one of you. To make damned sure that we push you past your limits”. Sonya swallowed nervously at this but was grateful that no one seemed to notice.

She’d heard of Ken Shamrock of course. One of the founding fathers of UFC the man had also been a successful wrestler. Sonya, who had grown up glued to the sport, had been watching when he’d defeated X-Pac for the Intercontinental title. To be standing here in front of him was awe inspiring to her. Awe inspiring and more than a little terrifying.

Shamrock was still speaking “...you all got an invite because you all come from accomplished athletic backgrounds. We have Olympians, NFL players, Indie wrestlers, and more with us. And I’m here to tell you now that NONE of it matters from here out. Because to me you’re all just meat. And that is all you will ever be until you prove otherwise”. He glared around at them for awhile before saying “before we begin for the day you’re starting with a three mile run. That’s either twelve times around the track in here or you can change and run all the way down to Mauer street and back. Either way I want you back here in thirty minutes, go!”.

Most of the group had headed to the track but for Sonya the choice was easy. Going outside might have been cold but she’d be with fewer people. She hurried to the locker room and changed into her wind pants and jacket. And now here she was closing the last hundred yards or so to the forge. 

When she finally reached it she came to a gradual stop outside the main entrance and bent over with her hands on her knees. She hadn’t realized just how hard she’d been pushing herself but she was completely winded. The ice cold winter air stung at her lungs as she heaved in great breaths of it. She could have gone inside but even though she was winded she wanted to take advantage of every moment of solitude she could snatch, she had a feeling she’d need them to get through this day.

She was still sucking wind when a moment later she heard fast approaching footsteps. She hadn’t even fully straightened to face the newcomer when a woman’s voice said “wow...it’s been a long time since someone could outrun me like that”.

Looking up Sonya found herself facing a tall brunette woman wearing a black windbreaker and athletic tights. Even through these Sonya could see that she had a strong build, much more muscular than Sonya herself. She had her hair in a ponytail that hung down past her shoulder and bright green eyes that twinkled as she smiled at Sonya. It seemed that she was delighted to meet someone who COULD outrun her.

“Britney Shane” she said as she extended a hand toward Sonya.

Swallowing once Sonya extended her own and mumbled “S-s-Sonya North”. 

“WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO SHY?!” she screamed internally.

But Britney Shane didn’t seem to be put off by this on the contrary her smile took on a warm understanding air as she asked “nervous too huh? Yeah I get that”.

Sonya knew that these words were meant to put her more at ease. She appreciated the effort but she still spoke in a scared sounding squeak as she said “yeah”.

“But I guess we wouldn’t be here if the PWF didn’t think we had something worthwhile so there is that” Britney said as she rested her hands on her hips. Despite the fact that she’d only finished a minute or so behind Sonya she didn’t seem particularly winded.

“I suppose” Sonya said lamely. She’d wanted, and still wanted, to say much more but somehow none of the rest came out.

“I was doing MMA for a long time and just started wrestling last year. What about you?” Britney asked sounding honestly curious and not at all put off by Sonya’s shyness.

“I...ummm…” Sonya said before she blushed.

“WHY ON EARTH ARE YOU BLUSHING?!” she snapped in her head.

“...I...I wrestled for Steel Domain Wrestling and a few others” Sonya managed to say, naming the promotion where she’d had her start.

“That’s really cool!...” Britney said enthusiastically as she looked at a fitbit on her wrist and added “...we’d better get back in there huh”. Sonya nodded and, unusually for her, walked WITH Britney back to the locker room. When they re-emerged onto the main floor they found that they were nearly the first back. To Sonya’s dismay both Mckayla Maroney and Shawne Merriman were already there along with a few others.

“Oh look the mute is back” Mckayla muttered without looking over at Sonya. One or two other people, including Merriman, laughed at this while some others looked uncomfortable. Sonya’s face burned again and she looked down at her feet. She felt exactly like she had in high school when girls just like Mckayla had made her life hell. Her stomach sank then as she wondered if her entire time here would be like that. Yet it seemed it wouldn’t because unlike in High School someone stood up for her.

Without so much as a word Britney Shane stepped past Sonya and slapped Mckayla hard. This wasn’t any sort of dainty ‘how dare you’ girly slap, but an open handed blow on the ear that sent the gymnast staggering. She probably would have fallen over if she hadn’t run into Merriman who held her upright. He, like most of the others present, was looking completely caught off guard by what had happened.

“You don’t say another goddamn word you understand” Britney growled at Mckayla as she levelled a finger at her.

“What the fuck-” Mckayla started to say before she received another hard box on the side of her head. This time she really did stumble to her knees.

“I said...you don’t talk!” Britney snapped. Mckayla glared up at her with pure hatred in her eyes but didn’t speak. Leaning down until her face was right in Mckayla’s Britney said “I don’t care how many fucking medals you’ve won princess, try that mean girl shit around me again and I will slap the bitch out of you”.

Everyone present could tell that Mckayla had all manner of nasty retorts ready to go. But Britney fairly towered over her and was much bigger. Also her head probably still hurt. Whatever the case Mckayla had to settle for sneering up at Britney for a few seconds longer before looking away in disgust. 

Spinning on her heel Britney marched back over to where Sonya was standing wide-eyed and said “I’m sorry for stepping in for you like that, I know you can take care of yourself. I just HATE that kind of petty bullshit”. Sonya didn’t answer right away, instead, she looked past Britney as another girl helped Mckayla stand and then as the two retreated to the far side of the group.

“It’s...alright” Sonya said, the corners of her lips flickering upward almost against her will. Before she knew it she’d broken into her first real smile that day. It really was alright, for it seemed that, against all odds, Sonya North had made a friend. 

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2: Defiance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya continues to struggle with both the training and her own hang ups at the Forge. But will the advice of two new friends be enough to change this?

Sonya North had thought she was thoroughly used to falling. One couldn’t be a professional wrestler without becoming accustomed to it. And when someone leapt through the air like she did, hard falls were a fact of life. And yet, four days into her training at the forge, Sonya realized she’d known nothing about falling until now.

 

For what felt like the thousandth time that day her back hit the canvas with a hard cracking noise. Wincing, and not even wanting to consider the bruises she’d now have, Sonya rolled onto her stomach and stood yet again. She’d learned how to do a hip toss many years ago when she’d first started learning how to wrestle, or she’d thought she had. Given her in ring style she’d never had much cause to use them and now she found that her understanding of the move was NOT up to Ken Shamrock’s standards.

 

“Very good Shane!” Shamrock shouted from where he was walking between the rings on the main floor. He was speaking to Britney Shane who had just dumped Sonya onto her back. 

 

“My arm is really starting to hurt” Britney muttered as she helped pull Sonya up. She made an interesting contrast to Sonya. The brunette was tall and muscular, today as usual she was clad in white workout gear. Sonya was short and spritelike, almost everything about her from her hair to her gear was blue. Britney was a former MMA fighter who was one of the most calmly assured people Sonya had ever met. For her part Sonya had always been a wrestler and was racked with self doubt.

 

“Yeah...my back too” Sonya muttered as she prepared herself for her own turn. She, Britney, and the other students in their class had been working on these basic throws for over an hour. Sonya wasn’t a woman who was usually comfortable verbalizing complaints, especially to authority figures, but she was finding this trying. 

 

No one got to just enroll at the Forge (officially: The Premier Wrestling Federation Training and Development Center). You had to be invited, and when Sonya had first gotten the call she’d been sure there had been some kind of mistake. But the subsequent communications had convinced her that, improbable though it seemed, the PWF really was interested in her. She’d been so terrified at the prospect that she’d actually been on the point of turning down the invite.

 

It had taken a heart to heart from her mentor to convince her that this really was her big break. And so she’d accepted the invitation to the forge. But she’d never fully shaken the idea that she didn’t quite belong. She was in a new class that consisted of professional athletes, an Olympian, and other highly accomplished people. Sonya was just a girl who had wrestled in the indies.

 

From the moment she’d arrived she’d felt a crushingly intense pressure to prove herself. Not because she thought she’d show she was better than anyone else but just to show that she did in fact belong. To maybe, just maybe, shake the constant fear that at any moment one of the forge staff would appear and tell her that there HAD been a mistake and that she had to leave. Even thinking about the possibility caused her anxiety to surge like a tsunami within her.

 

So it was both frustrating and, for Sonya, terrifying that she was being forced into these particular drills. Her mat work had always been the weakest part of her game and these first few days had been focused on nothing but. She felt like she was being forced to put this weakness on display for everyone to see without ever being given a chance to show what she was good at. Though it was anyone’s guess if she’d actually be comfortable showing off what skills she had if the time came.

 

Alright switch” Shamrock shouted at them. Britney and Sonya duly swapped positions and when Shamrock blew his whistle Sonya did her best to hip toss Britney. This was a tricky operation as Britney was eight inches taller than her but she did try. In the end Britney, despite her willing cooperation, only ended up being awkwardly dragged across Sonya’s body.

 

“North! Do I need to explain to you what a hip toss is?” Shamrock barked at her. Sonya felt her face go red at this as she looked down. When she looked back up she saw the smirking face of Mckayla Maroney looking over at her from another ring in malicious triumph. For whatever reason the former Olympian had taken an instant dislike of Sonya and now she seemed to be enjoying her discomfiture.

 

“Don’t worry you’re doing fine” Britney murmured so she wouldn’t be overheard. Sonya really wished she could believe that but she knew that she wasn’t looking good as a prospect this morning. Nor had she for any of the previous days. She shook her head to clear it of this thought. If she let herself go down that path she’d be useless for the rest of the day.

 

Things didn’t really improve much over the course of the morning. Shamrock continued to, seemingly, single out Sonya as the class moved through more basic moves. Britney suggested several times that Sonya might want to switch to a new partner, someone who was closer to her in size. But Sonya, who found the idea of having to work with someone she didn’t know very unsettling, had insisted.

 

And so It was with great relief that Sonya heard Shamrock eventually tell them to break for lunch. Without saying a word Sonya quickly rolled out of the ring and hurried back to the locker room. She knew Britney was looking at her concerned but she didn’t want to stop and talk right now. She just hurried to her locker, grabbed the small cooler she brought her lunch in, and ducked out of the locker room.

 

She knew that many of the trainee’s, including McKayla, actually left the forge to go out and eat most days. This suited Sonya just fine as it allowed her to find a quiet and deserted corner of the facility to eat her lunch in. She generally preferred to be alone but this particular practice reminded her forcibly of her High school days. When in order to avoid the social maelstrom that was the cafeteria she’d eaten her lunch in the library. 

 

She realized, with a pang of guilt, that she hadn’t even eaten with Britney yet since arriving at the forge. She thought about going back into the locker room to find the other woman but then realized that might cause her to run into Mckayla and the women she hung out with. The prospect was too daunting so Sonya put her head down and darted up a flight of stairs she’d found one morning while exploring. 

 

She and her class were not, of course, the only students studying at the forge. There were many other trainees all in different stages of the curriculum. As Sonya walked down the second floor hallway she passed classrooms and smaller training rooms full of other people hard at work. She ignored them and found a second staircase that took her to the third level of the facility. This was more sparsely populated but still had a steady traffic of people. Fortunately Sonya had the option of taking yet another flight of stairs that would take her to the top floor.

 

As far as she’d been able to tell the only things up here were a row of offices, the observation galleries that looked down on the main floor, and storage rooms. She selected one of the latter and, settling herself crossed legged against a stack of chairs, she unpacked her lunch. The room she was in was little more than a closet. 

 

Sonya took a few automatic bites of her food but really she wasn’t hungry. She felt like crying, another thing she’d done a lot of in high school. She was certain that she would be out of the forge by the end of the week, if not sooner. It had been crazy for her to think that she could belong here. Even the one person who had been nice to her, Britney, was probably just taking pity on her.

 

She sniffed once, feeling tears in the corner of her eyes. She cuffed at them angrily but couldn’t muster the will to try and suppress them. If she had to cry she supposed that this storage room was better than anywhere else. Though the knowledge that everyone would be able to see that she’d been crying when she rejoined the class for the afternoon made her face burn even hotter.

 

A moment later she nearly upset the stack of chairs as she started violently. She’d heard the sound of voices coming from out in the hallway. She’d left the door to her closet open just a crack and now it was too late to close it. She cuffed furiously at her eyes trying to dry her tears as she heard the voices speak again.

 

“She has to be up here right?" Said a woman’s voice that she didn’t know. Sonya’s heart froze at these words. They had to be referring to her. Images of Mckayla and her friends throwing open  the door and laughing at her flashed through her mind. For one desperate moment she shot a look around the closet looking for somewhere to hide.

 

Then she heard Britney’s voice say “are you sure?”.

 

“They said they saw her come up here. I don’t think they’d mistake her for anyone else, she’s very distinctive” the first voice said, sounding closer now. Sonya knew she should probably stand and announce herself but she didn’t. Her heart was still racing from the initial shock. A moment later she saw a hand appear in the crack of the door before it swung open.

 

“Hey…” Britney Shane said in a voice of mixed surprise and concern as she looked down at Sonya “...why are you hiding up here?”.

 

“Oh...I...I just thought…” Sonya started to say but couldn’t think of a way to finish her sentence. Despite this Britney seemed to somehow sense the situation. Or maybe she just saw that Sonya had been crying.

 

“Well do you mind if we join you?” she asked happily as she lifted a thermos.

 

“Umm...OK…” Sonya said, wiping quickly at her eyes. A moment later Britney was joined in the doorway by a blonde woman a few inches taller even than the brunette. Sonya recognized her from their class but she didn’t know her name.

 

“Hi, I’m Noelle Foley, it’s nice to meet you” she said as she extended a hand down toward Sonya. Even in her current frame of mind Sonya thought how odd the scene would have looked to an onlooker but she took the offered hand. After she let go Noelle and Britney both stepped into the closet and sat down across from Sonya.

 

“This is cozy” Britney said to Sonya with a grin.

 

“Yeah…” Sonya said as she looked down, embarrassed. The fact that she had been eating alone in a closet was being driven home to her now.

 

“So can I ask? Why were you eating up here?” Noelle put in as she unwrapped an apple she’d been carrying.

 

“I just...I needed some time” Sonya said lamely.

 

“We can leave if you want” Britney said.

 

“No no!” Sonya said quickly and too loudly. This reaction surprised her most of all, she actually wanted these two to stay with her. That by itself was very unusual as she almost always preferred solitude. Pausing to take a breath she added in a more normal tone “it’s fine I’m glad you’re here”. Britney gave her another smile at this and then began drinking from her thermos. 

 

“I can see why you needed the break, Ken is really riding you” Noelle said as she took a bite of her own food.

 

Britney put down her drink long enough to ask “Ken?” in a surprised voice.

 

Noelle looked embarrassed for a moment as she said “yeah...I know Ken Shamrock personally. He knew my dad back in the day”. When Britney continued to look confused she added: “my dad is Mick Foley”. This didn’t seem to convey much meaning to Britney but Sonya’s eyes bulged. 

 

“Yeah! They were in the Union together!” she blurted before looking down quickly.

 

“Yeah...for a very short time. Wow, you know your wrestling” Noelle said sounding impressed. 

 

“I...I watched a lot as a kid” Sonya muttered.

 

“She’s a big deal on the Indy circuit, one of the other trainees told me,” Britney said to Noelle while looking at Sonya with an encouraging smile.

 

“Really?” Noelle asked eagerly.

 

Sonya’s face was really burning now but she managed to mutter something like “I wrestled for Steel Domain Wrestling, GLCW, and a few others”.

 

“That’s really cool!” Noelle said.

 

“She didn’t just ‘wrestle’ for them!” Britney said eagerly as she brandished her phone. Looking down at its screen she read “Sonya North is a four-time GLCW women’s champion”.

 

“Dang” Noelle said sounding impressed.

 

“Whoa...check this out,” Britney said as she handed her phone to Noelle. Sonya, very anxious, craned her neck to see what was on it. She didn’t manage it but she learned anyway when the audio kicked in. She recognized the voice of the GLCW play by play team as well as the specific call.

 

“...North hits a springboard corkscrew moonsault! I can’t believe what we just saw! THIS GIRL HAS WINGS!” came the excited shout through the phone’s speakers. Both Britney and Noelle were now looking at Sonya with a stunned mixture of admiration and awe.

 

“That’s really you!” Noelle said excitedly as she thrust the phone toward Sonya. Sonya had to lean back in order to avoid catching the device on her nose but when she did she saw that the video clip was on a loop.

 

“Umm...yeah…” Sonya said, she was feeling horribly embarrassed.

 

“WHY are you hiding up here?...” Britney asked incredulously as she looked back and forth from Sonya to the phone “...you’re probably the best one here!”.

 

“I’m not-” Sonya began to say with a shake of her head but Noelle interrupted her. 

 

“At least you’re better than that twit Mckayla, my god was there ever a bigger cliché of a  mean girl?” she asked sourly.

 

“Fuck her” Britney murmured  before taking another drink.

 

“Maybe if that WAS happening she wouldn’t be such a bitch,” Noelle said in a tone of mock sweetness. Britney actually choked into her thermos while even Sonya managed to smile at this.

 

“You need to be showing off more though,” Noelle told Sonya. When Sonya couldn’t do more but look down at this Britney joined in.

 

“You’re so hard on yourself Sonya, I’ve known you for four days and I see that. But you’ve got real skills girl! Show them off!” she urged.

 

“But we’re doing throws and holds...I’m really bad at them” Sonya began to demur but Noelle jumped in again.

 

“Not this afternoon, I think we’re doing drop moves. So listen. If we’re doing those then why not give them your own little flare” she asked.

 

“I don’t know...if...if he tells us just to do plain ones then” Sonya began but once again she got overridden, this time but Britney.

 

“Forget that! You wouldn’t be here if the PWF didn’t think you belonged and Noelle and I just saw WHY you belong! You can fly! So get out there and do that! I’ll be your partner again and when I go down for you make sure and strut your stuff!” she urged Sonya.

 

Sonya was feeling very uneasy about the whole idea. It was completely against her nature to rock the boat, any boat. On the other hand, she also had a persistent problem when it came to her having to disagree with anyone and these two women were being very insistent. She also suspected that she might be bad at resisting peer pressure, she didn’t know for certain as she’d rarely had any friends who might exert it on her.

 

“I’ll think about it” she said finally with a very weak smile.

 

And so later that day, when they’d reconvened on the main floor, Sonya found herself once again paired with Britney. True to Noelle’s prediction they’d been told they would be working on drops. Elbows, fists, legs, and more. Unlike that morning’s format however, Shamrock decided he would use a single pair each time to demonstrate EXACTLY how he wanted each move executed. 

 

He worked through each pair as the rest of the class looked on. These moves were fairly basic so no one exactly struggled, even those who didn’t have any mat experience. The only notable occasions being when Shamrock barked at McKayla Maroney to “sell the goddamn move” and when Shawne Merriman accidently dropped a stiff elbow into the chest of another trainee named Kim Jon Su. 

 

When it was Britney and Sonya’s turn to enter the ring Sonya did so very tentatively. The first part of the demonstration went poorly for her. She knew how to do all of these moves but botched several badly under the intense scrutiny of her classmates and Shamrock. She’d just driven her elbow far too hard into Britney’s collarbone when the instructor called a halt in disgust.

 

“Are you trying to kill someone North? Get the hell out of my ring” he snapped. Sonya’s face flushed bright red as Mckayla made a not quite whispered comment that drew laughter at this. Britney gave her a look of concern from behind Shamrock’s back before jerking her head down towards the mat. Her  message was plain ‘I’ll drop once more but YOU need to show your stuff’.

 

But Sonya was feeling far too beaten to do anything. She’d had it, she was going to get kicked out of the forge and that would be that. Her big chance would have been lost and it would be back to the VFW’s and bingo halls for the rest of her career. As she ducked out onto the apron she somehow had the feeling that the moment she dropped down to the floor this would all become inevitable. Yet when she looked down she saw the face of Noelle Foley, a woman she’d only met that day. The blonde was looking up at her with an encouraging smile. 

 

“Strut your stuff, FLY” Noelle mouthed insistently at her. Sonya stared back for a long moment as something new blossomed in her at that moment. It wasn’t quite confidence, but it was close. It was less about being certain of her own ability and more that she knew both Noelle and Britney believed in her. And for that one moment it was enough.

 

“North! Are you deaf?! Get out of my ring!” Shamrock snapped. 

 

But Sonya didn’t. Spinning around on the apron she grabbed firm hold of the top rope. Britney, sensing what was happening, immediately dropped back down on the mat. The sound of the impact drawing the attention of the rest of the class, many of whom were talking among themselves. It even caused Shamrock to look down in surprise. With one last deep breath Sonya bent her knees and sprung with all her might.

 

It was just like riding a bike. Her feet found the familiar hard yet unstable purchase of the top rope a second later, she waited, you had to allow the rope to bend slightly under your weight. A heartbeat later, using the upward spring of the rope, she shot herself backward and up into the air. Crossing her arms in an ‘x’ pattern she began twisting the moment she left the top rope. She closed her eyes as she did, allowing muscle memory to take her through the familiar motions. 

 

As it always did during this moment, time seemed to slow. Sonya knew that she’d already passed the apex of her leap and was now falling back to earth but it felt as though she were doing so in low gravity. In the eternity it took for her to fall she could feel her muscles tensed, her hair flying out around her, the only sound was that of her own breathing. She was aware of it all as a second, or maybe an eternity, passed and she felt her knees and torso hit.

 

A perfect springboard corkscrew moonsault. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, writing Sonya is very cathartic for me as she and I share many traits in common. And I hope many of you can see some of yourself in our girl!
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, I loved writing it! How do you think Sonya's action will be received? Will Noelle and Britney be enough to bolsters her confidence?
> 
> I'm going to include the same invitation to the rest of you talented writers that I gave last time now! (Because I'm still hoping to recruit!)
> 
> Note: I am eagerly seeking co-creators for this work. I feel like it will be at it's best when we have a few people people all writing distinct and memorable characters than can weave in an out of each other's stories. Maybe even a few big 'all hands on deck' collaborative works? If you're interested PLEASE let me know, I'd love to talk about it with you.


	3. Chapter 3: Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still uncertain if she has a future at the forge Sonya decides that if it must end she'll have one memorable moment in a PWF ring.

Sonya North had ended the previous day’s training on a high note with her execution of the springboard corkscrew moonsault. She’d done it on impulse, without really thinking about what she was doing. And as she’d stood after landing, thankfully not too hard, on her friend Britney Shane she’d been flushed with the thrill she always felt after she flew. She’d never really considered how the others would react.

She wasn’t even sure what she would have expected from them, all she knew was that she would have preferred anything to awkward silence. And yet that was what had greeted her as she’d helped Britney to her feet. When she’d turned back to where her classmates were standing around the ring several had looked very impressed, others stunned, and a few had even looked annoyed. Though most of these were clustered around Mckayla Maroney.

But if anyone had been inclined to react verbally they were cowed into silence by one look at their instructor, Ken Shamrock. When Sonya found his face her own fell like a stone from a plane. His expression was hard as steel as he glared at her. He didn’t say anything besides “next group” but his tone made clear that both Sonya and Britney had best retreat and quickly. They’d taken the hint and both left the ring as fast as they could without appearing to do so.

Or at least Britney had, Sonya had fled. When she’d reached the floor she’d quickly retreated to the back of the group with her arms folded protectively around herself, her eyes downcast. What had she been thinking?! She’d just ignored a direct instruction from Shamrock, who she had already suspected might hate her.

Because it was how her mind worked she began to stew on worst case scenarios. Was she going to be kicked out at the end of the day? Or even if she wasn’t would they want to keep someone around who ignored basic instructions? For an instant, she thought about being annoyed with Britney and Noelle Foley, the ones who had convinced her that it would be a good idea to ‘strut’. But as usual, she found it much easier to be annoyed with herself than others. She’d made the choice and SHE had been the one to blow it.

She was raging internally at herself when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking over, and then up, she found herself facing a smiling woman with long black hair and dark skin. Before she spoke the other woman shot a quick look at the ring where Shamrock was busy with the next pair of trainees. Seeing that they were clear she whispered “that was awesome! My name is Alexia England”.

Sonya shook her offered hand but couldn’t manage more than a muttered: “thanks”.

But Britney Shane had overheard them and she whispered “oh my god that was amazing! How do you even do that?!”.

“I’d like to know that too” Alexia added in an equally excited whisper. Sonya’s mind temporarily pulled from its tailspin, finally caught up enough to register that Alexia had a British accent.

“I just..I don't know...I just do it” Sonya said. She wasn’t being modest. She’d been asked this very question many times before. And she could never give any answer better than the one she’d just given or the most literal explanation of what she’d physically done.

“Of course she’d just be that damned talented” Noelle Foley murmured out of the corner of her mouth as she edged her way back through the crowd to stand near them. She was facing away from them toward the mat, appearing to pay attention, but she was obviously just as excited as the other women.

“Shit, if you’re all like that then I don’t think I belong here” Alexia muttered sounding deeply impressed. Before anyone else could speak, a shout from the ring cut across them.

“Next group up! Foley! England! Get in here!” Shamrock shouted.

Noelle and Alexia both hurried quickly toward the ring leaving Britney and Sonya standing together. Though the panic in her chest hadn’t entirely subsided Sonya was feeling something else now. Something she didn’t experience often, but when they’d all been there for that brief moment she’d felt...safe? She wasn’t sure. She’d never had a lot of friends so being part of a group wasn’t something she had a lot of experience with. 

Shamrock kept them busy on their basic drops for the rest of the afternoon. He called a halt at 4:30 and said they were free to go. As most of the class began filtering away Sonya drifted off to one side, hoping that she’d eventually be left alone there. She wanted to stay late and give herself the release of some of her more complicated aerial maneuvers when no one was watching.

Instead, she was joined by Noelle, Alexia, and Britney. This dismayed her slightly, but to her surprise, not to the degree she would have guessed it would. Usually, she resented it privately when others didn’t conform to her silent desire to be left alone. But somehow this felt different, she already thought of Britney as a friend...did she maybe have two others without knowing it?

“Well it seems great minds do think alike,” Alexia said as she looked around at them. She was very tall, taller even than Britney who already stood many inches over Sonya. In fact, Sonya was by far the shortest of the group as Noelle was nearly as tall as Alexia.

“Were you ladies planning to get some more work in too?” Britney asked them.

“Actually I just came over because I saw you guys here but that IS a good idea,” Noelle said happily.

“Only if you don’t mind us butting in,” Alexia told Sonya with a smile. Truthfully Sonya DID mind in a small way, but she was terrible at vocalizing things like this. Besides she thought it might be fun to work with them all. This thought too came as a big surprise to her, she'd never before thought that a group experience might be even close to as fulfilling as a solitary one.

“Sure,” she said with a smile she hoped didn’t seem too forced.

“Well from what I hear you’re the most experienced one here so what should we do?” Noelle asked her. Sonya’s eyes widened at this. The idea of being asked to make a decision for a group, any group, was enough to make her nervous.

“Well, you had a tryout with NXT right? Maybe you should...” Sonya started to suggest but Noelle brushed her off with a laugh.

“Yeah I had a tryout and yet I’m here, so that should tell you all how well it went,” she said. Sonya's first instinct was to try and reassure the other woman but Noelle didn't actually seem that bothered. This puzzled Sonya if she'd had an NXT tryout and it had not gone well then she would probably have hidden from the world for a year.

“Well, boss? What about it?” Britney asked Sonya encouragingly. Sonya swallowed hard, fighting the desire to flee.

“Well...we could maybe just work a basic program?” she finally managed to suggest. No one had any objection it seemed so they selected a ring and climbed in. They hadn’t been the only ones with the idea of getting more work in after hours but they were the only group of four.

“Maybe a tag match?” Alexia suggested when they all stood between the ropes.

“Works for me,” Noelle said.

“I call teaming with Sonya!” Britney said quickly as she grabbed Sonya’s arm and pulled her over to her side.

“You bitch, that's not fair” Noelle laughed.

“I know, that’s why I did it,” Britney said happily. Sonya didn’t say anything to this but just let Britney take her over to one of the corners. They held a quick consultation and decided that Britney would begin against Alexia.

“Ding ding bitches!” Alexia said with a wolfish grin as she and Britney began circling.

They made quite a pair. Sonya guessed that Alexia was probably an even six feet tall if not slightly taller while Britney was closer to 5’9”. What was more, while Britney had the build of a lifelong athlete and fighter, Alexia’s muscles seemed to suggest those of a bodybuilder. It seemed obvious to Sonya that Britney would be at a power disadvantage. Yet it seemed that it wouldn't be THAT much of a hindrance. Every time Alexia tried to close the distance between them, or herd Britney into a corner, the brunette would simply dart away.

“Are we dancing or are we wrestling?” Alexia asked as she tried once more to bring Britney to a grapple. In response, Britney ducked under her arms and landed two quick but soft punches on Alexia’s side.

“We can do both!” Britney teased as she suddenly darted forward in an effort to shoot Alexia’s leg out from under her. She couldn’t quite manage it but she did pull off a quick getaway before the taller woman could make her pay for the mistake.

Their ‘match’ continued like this for a long time. None of them had worked with each other before so there were a lot of stops and starts as well as open talk between the erstwhile opponents. But to Sonya’s eye, it was obvious that all three of the other women had a great deal of talent. But she experienced it first hand when she finally tagged in to find herself facing Noelle.

Sonya was the exact opposite of an arrogant person. She was racked by constant self-doubt and rarely felt anything approaching confidence when it came to a decision. But she had expected that she would enjoy a quickness advantage over the others. And perhaps she did but not to the degree she’d been anticipating. She learned this when she was a bit too lackadaisical about coming off the ropes and Noelle sent her down to the mat with a solid shoulder block.

“Oof!” Alexia called from her corner.

“Can’t fly out of the way of that!” Noelle said with a wink as she stood over Sonya. In response, Sonya executed a rapid kip up and ran toward the ropes once more. Noelle, who plainly had been expecting this, dropped down to her belly when Sonya came back at her forcing Sonya to leap over her. Coming off the ropes once more Sonya saw that Noel seemed to be angling for another shoulder block so she acted.

She’d taken two steps off the ropes before she lept. If there was ONE thing Sonya North could claim to be great at it was jumping. Her two-step buildup was enough that she was able to completely leapfrog Noelle. She landed behind her opponent and before Noelle could even begin to turn Sonya had jumped once more. Twisting 180 degrees in mid air she got both hands on Noelle’s shoulders and dragged her down in a sit out reverse mat slam.

Noelle hit the canvas with a grunt. But before she could do anything more Sonya had backrolled and was once again running toward the ropes. To her credit, Noelle rolled quickly over onto her stomach and was standing up almost instantly. But Sonya had no intention of trying to meet her head on. Instead of rebounding off the ropes she’d leapt clean up onto the third rope.

There she took three bounces. The first allowed her to twist around to face the ring again. The second dropped her into a sitting position on the rope. The third gave her an added spring as she somersaulted forward. Rolling past Noelle, Sonya once again popped upright behind her. Though this time when she leapt she kept twisting and executed a sling blade. Noelle hit the canvas for the second time but this time she just remained there. Sonya was concerned she might have gone too far and injured Noelle but then she saw the other woman's expression. She was looking up at Sonya now with an expression of stunned disbelief.

“What even are you?” Noelle asked as her face broke into a grin.

“I...what?” Sonya asked she’d been smiling. She never smiled more than when she was in the ring. But it was faltering quickly at this question.

“I mean...HOW do you do these things?” Noelle asked as she raised a hand, plainly asking Sonya to help her up.

“It’s like I said I can’t really-” Sonya started to say but before she could finish speaking Noelle’s grip tightened and she found herself being pulled forward. Before she knew it she found herself rolled up in a small package.

“One, two…” both Alexia and Britney began to count before Sonya, out of force of habit, kicked out of the pin.

“Damn it! I thought I had you...” Noelle said as she stood and scuttled over to her corner where she tagged in Alexia before saying “...you get to try and catch the human lightning bolt now”. For one of the few times since Sonya had begun her time at the forge she actually felt confident, she was doing what she did best, and she was happy.

The rest of their time in the ring went by in a pleasant blur for Sonya. She learned that while she might be faster than Noelle, Alexia, or Britney it wasn't going to be the competitive edge she'd hoped. If anything it was the single thread that allowed her to compete with them at all. Because whenever one of them got a solid grip on her it spelled trouble. They all took their bumps of course but Sonya felt like Noelle’s double arm DDT, obviously adopted from her father, and Alexia’s sitout chokebomb had REALLY left their marks on her. They traded partners several times so they all ended up working with and against each other. But as it turned out, Britney proved to be the most confounding opponent for her.

Britney wasn’t quite as powerful as Alexia nor did she have the flare that Noelle seemed to exude, but what she did have was an exhausting technical excellence and apparently endless stamina. Sonya had an extremely hard time out-maneuvering her as she was always in the optimal position. Any move Sonya tried, Britney seemed to have a counter for. And if Sonya ever lingered for more than a second or two near her friend she ended up in a variety of painful holds. Most notably when Sonya, trying to slip past her, got caught in a reverse armbar that Britney then transitioned into a bridging one.

Sonya was forced to tap because, no matter what she tried, she simply could not slip out of the hold. The second time this happened she didn’t stand but simply rolled over onto her back breathing hard. Sweat was pouring down her face as she looked up at Britney and said: “you’re really good at this” in a breathless voice.

“And YOU are very frustrating at this,” Britney said, happy for the excuse to take a break. She put her hands on her knees and took several deep breaths. A moment later they were joined in the ring by Noelle and Alexia.

“I think…” Noelle said before having to cut off to take her own deep breaths “...that’s more than enough for me today”.

“Here here” Alexia coughed as she leaned heavily on the ropes.

Sonya didn’t respond to any of this. She was just staring happily up at the bright lights on the ceiling of the main floor. She was still worried about the possibility of being kicked out of course. But it had faded with each moment she’d spent in the ring. Life was better there, it was simple. And if she did get tossed out at least she’d had one great time in a PWF ring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for being patient with me on this release. As some of you may know I have another project 'The Horsewomen of Las Vegas' on my plate and that takes up a fair amount of time. But don't worry! I will never neglect Sonya for long.
> 
> Thank you for keeping that hit counter moving upward I really appreciate it. And if you like this story and were leave a kudo, a comment, or give me a bookmark that would be amazing!
> 
> Is Sonya on her way out? Is she the kind of person who probably has far more friends than she realizes? Got any suggestions, comments, or concerns? Let me know in the comments!


	4. Chapter 4: Cut Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's cut day at the forge! Will Sonya and her friends survive?

Sonya North felt like her stomach had been twisted into a pretzel as she arrived at the forge that morning. She was, to be frank, terrified of what that day might bring. She’d been at the forge for two weeks and today was ‘cut day’. Of the thirty or so trainees in her class, ten would be sent home today. The forge was extremely selective about who it let train within its walls and those that couldn’t meet those standards were quickly spat out.

 

Sonya was a relatively accomplished indy wrestler, having held multiple titles in multiple promotions all over the upper midwest. But she was in no way confident that she would still be training at the forge this time tomorrow. Of course, she rarely felt certain about anything but this was worse than her usual lack of self-confidence. It was worse because she’d convinced herself that the people who ran the forge might have perfectly valid reasons to throw her out.

 

These two weeks had been brutal for Sonya both physically and on what frail confidence she had. They had been devoted almost entirely to the basic sort of wrestling craft that was the weakest part of her repertoire. Sonya was a high flyer, and though she would have denied this she was a high flyer par excellence. But aside from after-hours training with her friends, she’d only been allowed to show off these skills twice. And one of those times she’d done so in defiance of their drill sergeant of an instructor Ken Shamrock.

 

This reflection actually curved her downward self-esteem spiral for a brief moment. She’d been training after hours with her friends. This still amazed her. Sonya thought of herself as being fairly dull and knew that her lack of self-assurance could grate on other people. And yet, against all odds, she’d managed to make three new friends at the forge. This was very near to being a personal record for total number of friends she’d ever had at one time.

 

Britney Shane, Noelle Foley, and Alexia England were all fellow trainees in her class. Britney was a former MMA fighter who had made the leap into wrestling. Noelle was the daughter of wrestling legend Mick Foley. Alexia had been wrestling for years in the UK and had made quite a name for herself internationally. All three women were supremely talented and skilled. Sonya often felt very out of place in their company and yet, for whatever reason, all three had taken to her. She would have found it even more strange to learn that all three looked to her as a sort of de facto leader of their group, though Sonya was completely unaware of this fact.

 

Sonya sighed heavily as she tied her blue sneakers, maybe for the last time, in the Forge women’s locker room. If she was going to be cut, and she felt that this was a near certainty, maybe she could take comfort in the fact that she had made friends. Maybe they wouldn’t stay close if she was booted out of the forge but at least for a time she’d done so. This was something she’d struggled to do since childhood.

 

On her way out of the locker room, she bumped into Mckayla Maroney and instantly tensed up. The former Olympic gymnast turned wrestling trainee gave Sonya the look she always saved for her. A lip-curling sneer that made it seem like Mckayla had an unpleasant smell directly under her nose. Sonya wasn’t sure why, and her friends had told her not to bother worrying about it, but for whatever reason Mckayla really seemed to LOATHE her.

 

Fortunately, Mckayla decided not to launch one of her barbed comments and instead just pushed past Sonya and out to the main floor. Sonya breathed an audible sigh of relief at this, she knew she shouldn’t let them but these comments always cut her deeply. She waited for thirty seconds to make sure Mckayla would have time to get well clear of the doors before she herself left the locker room. On the other side of the doors, she was met by Alexia.

 

“Of course you’d be looking like you were heading to your own funeral today,” the taller woman said by way of greeting. She looked like she hadn’t slept much, she had dark circles under her eyes. Sonya tried to force a smile onto her lips but found that the nervous nausea she was experiencing made it impossible.

 

“Oh come on Sonya! You’re the best one in the class! If anyone should be nervous it’s me!” Alexia said. Sonya’s expression instantly turned to one of concern at this. Focusing on Alexia’s anxiety allowed her to avoid thinking about her own.

 

“She’s scared! Give her a hug! Tell her she’ll do fine!” Sonya told herself internally. Of course, her good intentions rarely manifested perfectly in the real world. She ended up awkwardly patting Alexia on the arm and saying “I’m sure you’ll be fine”. This didn't seem to really comfort Alexia, and frankly, Sonya couldn’t blame her. But the dark-haired woman gave Sonya a weak smile anyway.

 

“Will you two stop looking so nervous! It’s freaking me out!” Noelle Foley said as she joined them. Like Alexia, the tall blonde looked as though she’d been awake all night.

 

“I’ll bloody stop when you do,” Alexia said.

 

“I can’t help it! You guys know how my NXT tryout went and...I don’t think I can handle bombing out twice” Noelle said grimly. Sonya felt sorry for them both. Not only for how they were feeling but because they were looking to her for some comfort. She would have loved to offer some but she had no idea how she would go about doing that. And besides, she was very wrapped up in her own fears.

 

Finally, in an attempt to distract them all, Sonya asked “so...where’s Britney?”. She’d asked the question out of desperation to find anything to say but it was true that the brunette woman was nowhere to be found.

 

Noelle rolled her eyes at this and said “how else do you think the bionic woman would deal with nerves? She’s out running, probably on mile 47 of 50.”

 

She was being sarcastic but Britney Shane was a compulsive exerciser. The former MMA fighter was the most well-conditioned athlete Sonya had ever met. And what was more she worked obsessively on maintaining that conditioning. For her part, Sonya worked very hard when she was at the Forge or during any kind of training but when she had free time she tried to relax.

 

“She better hurry back or she’ll be late,” Alexia said sounding concerned as she looked up at a wall mounted clock. As if on cue the doors to the women’s locker room opened and Britney came jogging in. Sonya noted that Mckayla sent a nasty glare at the other woman as she entered. This was understandable. On the first day of training, Britney had slapped the gymnast on the side of the head so hard that Mckayla had fallen over.

 

“What did I miss?” Britney asked as she joined them.

 

“Just your friends freaking out! So talk us off the ledge!” Noelle joked though Sonya thought there was more manic desperation in her voice than actual levity.

 

“You should have come running with me! I didn’t worry about anything the whole time” Britney said.

 

“Well you’re not running now, is it still working?” Alexia asked.

 

“Not...really…” Britney said with a sigh. Sonya was just feeling that she should probably say something when she was spared having to think of what that might be. A familiar voice had shouted at them from one of the main floor’s rings.

 

“Alright! I know you’re all on edge and we won’t torture you any longer. For some of you, today is the end of your time at the forge. If that’s the case then I wish you the best of luck. Make sure and see the receptionist on your way out to leave your info. You never know, you might make it into a future class” Ken Shamrock told them. The whole class blinked in surprise at this. Shamrock had never before spoken to them in a way that suggested they were anything but an enormous inconvenience for him.

 

“Shamrock’s being nice...the world might just be ending” Britney whispered. Despite the palpable tension in the group, Noelle giggled.

 

“Go through the doors over there…” Shamrock told them as he pointed to a set of double doors on the far side of the main floor “...the cut list is posted on the main board.”

 

The whole class exchanged nervous looks before most of them began heading in that direction. Some were walking as though they were heading to their own execution, others were doing their best to hurry without appearing to do so, and some were nearly running. Sonya didn’t move, in fact, she couldn’t. She was so terrified of what she might find on that board that she very nearly blacked out. And she might have actually done so if she hadn’t felt a hand on her shoulder.

 

“Hey?...” Britney asked her with a reassuring smile on her face “...are you alright there blue?”. This was obviously in reference to Sonya’s hair, eyes, and gear which were all shades of that color. Sonya looked up at Britney, she gave up eight inches of height to the other woman, and blinked uncomprehendingly.

 

Before Britney could say anything, however, another hand rested on Sonya’s other shoulder. Looking back she saw that this was Noelle. A moment later Alexia stepped in to close the circle and as if by prearranged plan all four women stepped forward to embrace in a hug. Sonya couldn’t help but revel in this despite all her fears. She had, for almost the first time, a support system. She actually let out a single bark of laughter drawing looks of surprise from the other women.

 

She blushed deeply at this before she said: “I’m sorry, it’s just that...this could kind of be our ‘kliq’ moment”. Britney looked confused while both Alexia and Noelle grinned.

 

“I really hope not! That would mean that two of us are leaving!” Noelle said.

 

“Of course she went there though she knows she’d be the Shawn Micheals of our kliq” Alexia teased her. This made Sonya blush again as she muttered something about not meaning it that way.

 

“Someone will have to explain to me what’s going on,” Britney said. Of the three she was the least versed in wrestling history having really only been aware of the sport for a year or so. Noelle had been raised in the business, Alexia had put in years of ring work in Europe, and Sonya had grown up glued to her TV watching the WWE, TNA, Ring of Honor, and anything else she could find.

 

They stepped apart then and, after exchanging nervous looks, they walked as a group across the main floor. Sonya noticing out of the corner of her eye that Ken Shamrock had been studying them keenly the whole time. Worried she might accidentally make eye contact she looked away quickly. None of them spoke as they reached the doors and walked through.

 

The main board was instantly visible as soon as they stepped into the hallway beyond the doors. Situated between two staircases it was actually an enormous monitor. All of their fellow trainees were clustered around it. Several were looking very downcast and Sonya guessed they hadn’t found their names on the list. She felt sorry for them but she was also feeling like she might be sick so wasn’t in any position to offer sympathy.

 

Their class had been over thirty strong so the crowd around the screen was fairly dense. For most of the people present this wasn’t a problem. They were tall enough to see over or around the others to view the screen. Sonya, who barely crested 5’1”, did not have this luxury. Noelle, who had been trying to find her way through the crowd looked back and grasped the situation instantly.

 

“The screen is scrolling up through the names, it’s just finishing the alphabet and I assume it will start over again soon,” she said. Without realizing it Sonya found that she was squeezing the hands of Alexia and Britney. Neither woman tried to pull away from the contact as they all stared raptly at the board.

 

It seemed that the forge staff had elected to list the trainee’s alphabetically by their first names. This meant that only a few moments later both Britney and Alexia sagged in relief. When the words had finally moved high enough up the screen for even Sonya to see them, she saw both of their names scroll by.

 

“Oh my god” Alexia whispered softly as she covered her mouth with both hands and let out a shaky breath. For her part, Britney was punching the air in triumph. Sonya was genuinely happy for both of them but found she couldn’t express this beyond a weak smile. Somehow seeing that both her friends had made it in had served to increase her dread. It seemed as though all three of them might make it in only for Sonya to be left out. This possibility was quickly becoming a certainty in Sonya's mind.

 

They all stared raptly at the board as more and more names went by. As the ‘j’ and ‘k’ names scrolled past Sonya saw Noelle’s body language stiffen. She knew how badly Noelle wanted this and as they waited she found her breath coming short. She closed her eyes then, unable to bear the anticipation. She only opened her eyes when Noelle let out a quickly restrained squeak of excitement. Sonya’s eyes shot open just in time to see Noelle’s name scroll by.

 

“Oh my god oh my god” Noelle was saying over and over as she pressed her hands over her eyes. Sonya and the others knew that she was crying but when she removed her hands her eyes, while a bit moist, were shining with happiness. She returned to them and gave them each a big hug.

 

Sonya tried to return the gesture with feeling but she found that her heart was beating so fast that she thought she might have a medical issue. Her throat seemed to have constricted so much that her breath was coming shallow. She didn’t know if she wanted to flee, cry, laugh, or hide. Her friends, for their part, all moved to stand around her. They each put their hands on her shoulders, squeezing so hard in anticipation that it actually hurt.

 

It seemed to Sonya that the board had decided to move extra slow now. It took centuries for the ‘o’ names to pass and it might have been an epoch before the ‘p’ names had vanished. There were no ‘q’ names but when ‘r’ began Sonya found she just couldn’t keep looking. She covered her face with her hands once more and looked down. Those next few moments were the longest of Sonya’s life. Suddenly she was being shaken vigorously.

 

“YOU DID IT!” Noelle was half shouting down at her. Sonya’s eyes shot open to stare wide-eyed up at the screen. Sure enough, a second later, another group of letters floated upward. It took her startled brain a while to realize that they read ‘Sonya North’. The tension inside of her exploded then as her knees very nearly buckled in relief.

 

“Of course she bloody did!” Alexia said happily.

 

“Bring it in!” Britney said in a half-choked voice. Sonya found herself being spun around as, a moment later, she found herself once again locked in a four-woman hug. Or at least one of her arms was around Britney’s back and the other around Alexia’s waist. She squeezed her eyes shut again as a single happy tear slid out from under her eyelid.

 

She’d actually done it. She’d made it through the first two weeks. It didn’t matter that she’d never felt truly comfortable or confident the whole time. She’d made it. And what was more, all FOUR of them had made it! Sonya was so overwhelmed with the combined revelations of the last few minutes that she couldn’t speak. And it seemed the other three were in similar states.

 

It was Britney who eventually broke the silence saying: “we need a much better nickname than ‘the kliq’ OK?”. Noelle and Alexia burst into nervous laughter at this as more tension left them. Even Sonya managed a genuine smile at this. This moment meant so much to all of them for very different reasons. And yet it was better because they were all there.

 

When they did eventually break their hug Sonya turned to survey the rest of the trainees. Those who hadn’t found their name on the list were shuffling dejectedly away. On the other hand, those that had survived to fight another day were reacting in their own individual ways. These ranged from the stoic Kim Jon Su who was merely standing off to one side with his arms folded to the somewhat manic wisecracks of Lance Douglas, the self-appointed class wit.

 

Sonya also noticed, to her dismay, that Mckayla and several of her friends had made it through as well. To her surprise, the Olympian looked completely indifferent to the fact that she’d made the cut. Sonya got the impression that she had just assumed she would so seeing it confirmed wasn’t any great thing. Mckayla gave her a sneering look before turning to face her group.

 

This didn’t matter though, not to Sonya North, not today. Mckayla Maroney could be as mean as she liked. Sonya and her friends had made it through the first round of cuts. She was now officially a student at the forge, not just a trainee. She knew there would be a LOT of tough times still to come. But right now, uncharacteristically, she felt as though she could handle anything,

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four chapters in and I hope you all like reading about Sonya as much as I like writing her story!
> 
> Still seeking collaborators on this work! If you're interested please let me know!
> 
> What did you guys think of this one? Are our four women onto something big? What's going to be next for Sonya?


	5. Chapter 5: Division

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya and her classmates begin developing their in-ring characters but this cases an unexpected divide in her group.

“Sonya North!” the voice called.

Sonya, who had been sitting in one of the chairs outside the office, swallowed hard before she stood. Her palms were sweaty and her eyes were darting nervously around the hallway. The faces of the group of her fellow students that also had been called to the office along with her wore a variety of expressions. Noelle Foley, one of her close friends, gave her an encouraging smile. Lance Douglas, whom Sonya found funny but was too shy to actually speak to, gave her his lopsided goofy grin.

Others were less friendly. Jennifer Storm and Araceli Ramos both gave her dark looks before returning to their conversation. These two were close friends, Sonya’s friend Britney referred to them as ‘cronies’, of Mckayla Maroney. Mckayla had developed an early dislike of Sonya and seemed to view her as a rival. Sonya found this perplexing as she couldn’t recall ever doing anything that would make the other woman feel that way. She only realized she’d frozen where she stood when the voice called again.

“Sonya North!” it said sounding louder and more impatient. Storm and Ramos sniggered at this which made Sonya’s face burn.

“Get going!” Noelle urged her in a whisper. Swallowing hard once more Sonya began walking toward the open door. Her legs seemed to suddenly be much heavier than usual. Each step requiring a conscious effort from her to complete. The day after they’d all learned they would be remaining at the forge, at least until the next round of cuts, Sonya and her classmates had been summoned to one on one meetings with Scott Levy.

Known as ‘Raven’ in his active wrestling days, Levy was the forge’s head creative advisor. This meant that he was in charge of the off-mat development of all the students currently in residence. The idea behind the forge was that it would disgorge students with fully developed characters as well as physical skills at the end of their time there. Premier Wrestling Federation would then import them into its developmental league: Protege.

Thus far the students in Sonya’s class had only dealt with Ken Shamrock, the forge’s head wrestling instructor. Sonya guessed this was because the PWF simply didn’t want to invest time in developing a character for a student who wouldn’t be sticking around. Now that Sonya and the others had been accepted as full students at the forge, the PWF seemed ready to take some early steps.

“Take a seat,” Levy told Sonya as she walked cautiously into his office. The room was spacious and well lit by a large set of windows. The furniture was all light colored wood that went well with the cream-colored walls and floor. Levy had indicated one of the two chairs that sat in front of his desk. Sonya sat gingerly, as though she were afraid the chair might explode if she sat too quickly.

Sonya was more than a bit starstruck. She was sitting across from a two-time world champion. Not only that but Levy, as Raven, had become famous as one of the best mic workers in the business across multiple promotions. Sonya found the idea that she was even talking to the man somewhat surreal.

“So, North, I see that you were working for several regional promotions. Tell me about the character you were using” Levy asked without preamble. He didn’t even look up from the file he was reading.

“I...uh…” Sonya stumbled. Inside she was raging at herself, now was NOT the time to get tongue-tied. But of course, the more she thought this the worse the situation became.

Levy looked up at this with a bemused expression as he said “Relax North. You’re not in danger of getting cut today. I just need some basic information.”

“Th-thank you, sir…” Sonya forced herself to say as she swallowed once again. The truth was she wasn’t sure how to answer the question. Sonya had cut a grand total of two promos her whole time as a wrestler. This was due to the fact that she suffered from severe social anxiety. Give Sonya the choice between speaking in front of a group or fighting a dragon and she’d opt for the second every time.

When she’d been wrestling for Steel Domain Wrestling, her first job in the industry, this hadn’t mattered so much. The shows had been so small and focused so much on the in-ring work that characters were really only important in the most abstract sense. She’d been content to allow the announcers to brand her however they liked. Just so long as they let her fly.

Over time she’d taken suggestions from people about ways to tweak this. She’d probably never be much of a talker but she had allowed other things to speak for her. It had been the idea of her boss at SDW that she begin using mostly blue gear. This was fine with Sonya as it was her favorite color. She’d only learned much later that this entire idea had been inspired by the fact that her boss had heard the song “Blue Moon” by Frank Sinatra in a store. She’d been nonplussed by this even when he’d explained that the other half of his inspiration had been watching her fly. Apparently, when she was mid-air she sometimes resembled a crescent moon. Despite this inauspicious beginning she’d grown to love the association.

When she’d shifted to working primarily for Great Lakes Championship Wrestling she’d taken the idea with her. She still hadn’t been doing much to actively develop the character but she’d kept the look and had even started wearing a stamp on her face that depicted a blue crescent moon that partially encircled her left eye. To Sonya's surprise, this minimal effort had paid great dividends.

Without Sonya having to do anything the crowds had developed a mythos for her. They would chant ‘blue moon rising’ as she made her way to the ring and during her matches. In a bizarre turn of events, her very silence had begun to work for her. GLCW had been delighted to capitalize, selling t-shirts that read “‘Silent as the Blue Moon’.

The difficulty for Sonya, apart from her usual one of communicating with people she didn’t know, was how to describe this. It seemed like it wouldn’t be enough for her to tell Levy that she’d just sort of let circumstance develop a character for her without adding much input. Never mind that fact that the ‘blue moon’ gimmick was less of a character and more a collection of traits. She then realized she’d been silent for too long and Levy was once again staring at her.

“ _JUST TELL HIM!_ ” she roared in her head. What came out was “Ummm...I got called the Blue Moon Rising.”

Levy raised an eyebrow at her and asked: “that’s it?”

“Well…” Sonya was realizing just how paltry that had sounded now “...I also have the look, you know the blue, and I use Blue Moon as my music-.”

Here Levy cut her off saying “so...your ENTIRE character is based on the idea of a moon, the fact that you like blue, and a Frank Sinatra song?”. Sonya’s heart sank as she realized she had to nod to this. It really did sound pitiful.

“Sorry…” she found herself saying.

“Alright, well some of your classmates have zero experience so I guess I’ve had to start with less” levy muttered to himself as he made a few notes.

“ _TELL HIM HOW MUCH YOU LIKE THAT GIMMICK!_ ” Sonya screamed at herself in her own mind. But she ended up just looking down at her feet.

It was very hard for Sonya to explain her problems when it came to interacting with others. And not just for the very obvious reasons. Sonya WANTED to be outgoing and communicative. She WANTED to expand on her ideas and to be someone who could easily chat with anyone. Quite apart from all the practical problems she could avoid this way, it would simply have made her happier.

But she simply couldn’t. Even to her, this sounded lame but that didn’t make it untrue. Words died in her throat or she would, almost involuntarily, end up staring down at her feet. The very idea of looking up into someone’s eyes and saying ‘hello’ to them was enough to provoke a powerful fear response in her. She’d learned to suppress most of the outward signs of this but she could never quite keep her heart from racing whenever anyone so much as smiled at her.

“Alright, I think I have enough to get started with here,” Levy said as he set his pen down. He looked up at Sonya and gazed at her in a way that made her feel as though she were being X-rayed.

“Thanks…” Sonya muttered.

“So let’s talk about accommodations,” Raven told her as he drew out another sheet of paper. Startled Sonya finally managed to look up.

“I’m sorry?” she asked.

Levy looked actually exasperated now as he said “You’re a student here now North. That means you could be here for a while, longer than most people want to try and live out of a hotel. Do you need housing? If so we have a block of apartments we make available.”

Comprehension hit Sonya only a few moments before embarrassment did. Flushing she said: “oh...no...I live here...I’m from St. Paul.”

“Alright then, get out of here. Take this with you” Levy said as he handed Sonya the first piece of paper he’d been taking notes on. Sonya took it gingerly before standing and walking to the door as quickly as she could. As she reached the door Levy spoke up behind her saying: “Send in Noelle Foley when you leave.”

“Okay,” Sonya said in a voice she hoped didn’t sound too much like a squeak. Exiting the office she walked with her gaze fixed downward across the hallway to where Noelle was sitting.

“Uh-oh...I know that look…” Noelle said as Sonya sat dejectedly beside her “...what has self-esteem spiral Sonya out today?”

Sonya, speaking through her hands which she’d clamped over her face, murmured “I just made a fool of myself in front of Raven.”

Noelle gave her a sympathetic smile as she put a hand on Sonya’s arm and joked: “Well thanks for setting a low bar for me to clear.”

“I actually did” Sonya moaned dejectedly.

“I’m sure you did fine,” Noelle said reassuringly but Sonya just shook her head with her face still buried in her hands.

“He wants to see you now,” Sonya muttered finally.

Noelle gave Sonya’s arm one final squeeze before saying: “You’re amazing Sonya! Remember that!”. With that, she stood and headed into the office leaving Sonya alone. She didn’t actually have anything on her training schedule until after lunch, which wasn't for another half an hour anyway. In an effort to pass the time she looked down at the paper still clutched in her hand. Unfolding it she began to read, with each passing sentence her face fell further.

Forty minutes later Sonya was sitting in a storage closet. This had been where she’d been eating her lunch since the second day of her time at the forge. Unlike then, these days she was always joined by three other people. Her friends Britney Shane, Alexia England, and Noelle. The forge actually did have a lounge designed for dining but ever since Noelle and Britney had first found her up here the group had made the closet their own informal cafeteria.

Sonya was never someone who could be described as chatty but this usually didn’t matter. Britney and Alexia were both amiable people who were happy to engage in most conversation. But it was Noelle, a real social butterfly, who was the true heart and soul of their gatherings. Or at least usually.

Today she was uncharacteristically quiet as she sat cross-legged slightly apart from the others. She was pushing at her salad without any real enthusiasm and Sonya thought it likely that none of it had yet passed her lips. Noelle’s mood, combined with Sonya’s usual lack of conversation, meant that Britney and Alexia were left assuming more of the social burden than they usually had to.

Britney was appreciated by the others as the ‘protector’ of the group. This had been most vividly demonstrated on the first day of their training when she’d smacked Mckayla Maroney for taunting Sonya. But she had a very linear and direct way of thinking and speaking. This made her a poor choice when it came to creating or leading small talk, even if she was happy to participate in it.

For her part, Alexia was well liked among their class and fairly sociable. But she tended to be happier when she was playing a supporting role in life. Not just in the ring but even socially. She was at her best when she could play off of Noelle’s usually chipper nature. When she was forced to carry a conversation with only Britney for support things could tend to grind along.

Eventually, it was Britney who turned to Noelle and asked: “so...do you want to tell us what's bothering you today?”

“Nothing,” Noelle murmured down to her food.

“Uh-huh...and what about you?” Britney asked turning to Sonya, who didn’t answer. Instead, she just took another bite of her sandwich.

“Did you two fight or something?” Britney asked them.

“No,” both Sonya and Noelle said flatly.

“OK well, what then? Come on we’re your friends and you’re bumming us out” Britney told them.

“Look, can we just not talk about it,” Noelle said moodily.

“I would LOVE to not talk about it but both of your body languages are screaming 'please ask me what’s wrong',” Britney answered.

“Brit, leave it be,” Alexia said in a tone of caution. But Noelle seemed to have finally given in. Shooting an exasperated glare at Britney she dragged a piece of paper out from her pocket and thrust it toward her.

“There! You happy?!” Noelle asked sounding sullen for the first time since Sonya had known her.

“No…” Britney said as she took the paper with an uncertain look.

“Just read it” Noelle grumbled. Britney looked at her for a few moments before she unfolded it and began to read. Sonya was watching this all with great interest, hidden behind several stray locks of blue hair that had fallen in front of her face.

After a minute or so Britney looked up and said: “So...they wrote you a character? Isn’t that the point of those meetings?”. She sounded legitimately confused as she handed the paper off to Alexia.

“You don’t get it,” Noelle said sounding very tired all the sudden.

“No, I don’t…” Britney answered in a supportive voice “...but I’d listen if you told me.”

Noelle just sighed heavily as Alexia finished reading and handed the paper over to Sonya. Brushing her hair back Sonya took the paper and began to read. As she did her brow furrowed. She was with Britney, she didn’t understand why Noelle was so upset. The paper was like the one that Levy had given her. It outlined what he saw as the best sort of character going forward for Noelle.

Her curiosity was enough that it even convinced her to speak as she asked: “what’s wrong with it?”. To her surprise, Noelle sent her a very frustrated look before she closed her eyes and took several deep steadying breaths. It was a while before she chose to speak again.

“The whole character is based on my being Mick Foley’s daughter,” she said finally.

“Yeah, what's wrong with that? You are his daughter,” Alexia said.

“But I don’t want to succeed based ONLY on that!” Noelle said despairingly. Her tone drew the eyes of all her friends as Noelle held her head in her hands. She went on saying: “Look...I know I’m not as good in the ring as you guys are-”

“You’re great in the ring!” Britney insisted.

“Yeah,” Sonya added lamely.

“I’m NOT as good as you guys are. I’m not looking for pity I’m just stating a fact. Alexia has been wrestling for years, so has Sonya, and Brit you were an actual fighter. Apparently, the only thing I have going for me is that I am Mick Foley’s daughter!” Noelle said with real bitterness in her voice.

“Noelle you wouldn’t still be here if you didn’t belong…” Alexia said, “...you think someone like Shamrock would-”

But Noelle cut her off saying “SHAMROCK is a friend of my dad. I didn’t do that well in the trial period and I was wondering WHY they passed me. And now I know...because of my family. It has nothing to do with me.”

Sonya and Alexia all exchanged helpless glances at this. Sonya happened to believe that Noelle was VERY good in the ring. But she didn’t know how to tell Noelle this. She was furious with herself over this fact. She wanted to comfort her friend, tell her that she was wonderful, but she was tongue-tied again. Before she could get past this it was Britney who spoke.

“Yeah? So what?” she said harshly in a voice that drew looks of reproof from both Sonya and Alexia.

“Excuse me?” Noelle asked in a dangerous tone.

“I said...yeah...so...what?” Britney said, not looking away from Noelle.

“Britney!” Alexia hissed but Britney waved her away.

“Yeah, it’s POSSIBLE that you got advanced just because of your last name. None of us here believe that but it’s POSSIBLE. So what? You’re IN Noelle! YOU ARE HERE! So if those idiots out there think you’re nothing but a legacy then FUCK them!” Britney said harshly.

“Wow, OK, well first-” Noelle began to say in an irritated tone but Britney cut her off.

“So what? They kept you hear for the wrong reasons. Then get your ass out there and show them how fucking stupid that was! Show them that you not only belong here on talent but that they are lucky to have you! Get out there and show them every day that they were idiots for thinking you were just a name!” Britney snapped.

Sonya was looking wide-eyed from one woman to the other. If anything made her more uncomfortable than public speaking it was being witness to an argument. Alexia was also looking highly uncomfortable as she looked down at her drink. For her part, Noelle just glared back at Britney with narrowed eyes for a while before she stood.

“I’ll see you all later’ she said tartly before leaving the closet.

“Noelle!” Alexia called after her as she half stood. This was tricky for her as unfolding her 6’1” frame in the closet took some care. By the time she was upright, Noelle was gone. Turning an angry glare on Britney Alexia said: “Very nice Brit, that was helpful.”

“She needed to hear it and you know it, Alexia!” Britney shot back.

“Whatever,” Alexia said as she shook her head in disgust before following Noelle out of the room. This left a very uncomfortable Sonya sitting awkwardly next to Britney who sighed heavily.

“Are you leaving too Blue?” she asked without looking over at Sonya. Sonya shook her head before she realized that Britney wouldn’t see the gesture.

“No,” she said quietly. Britney turned and gave her a rueful smile at this.

“I fucked up there didn’t I?” she asked Sonya quietly.

“Maybe,” Sonya said tentatively.

“Yeah…” Britney said sadly as she too looked down. All in all, it hadn’t been a great day for Sonya North. By the time she descended back down to the main floor to begin her afternoon training, she was fairly certain it was the worst day ever. She was worried that the friends she’d miraculously managed to make were falling apart. She thought the day couldn’t be much worse. Then Shamrock had started to speak.

“Get in a good workout today because tomorrow we’re going to put you through a basic match against one of your fellow classmates. This is just an assessment for us to see where your ring skills are at but take it seriously! I’m going to read off the pairs now” he said as he lifted a tablet and began reading.

Sonya was only half listening. She was standing next to Britney off to one side of the group. She noticed to her dismay that Noelle and Alexia had elected to stand at the back, away from them. She felt her heart sink still further at this. She dreaded the prospect of losing friends but she dreaded the idea of being asked to pick a side even more. Then she heard Shamrock say her name and that of her partner.

“North! You will be wrestling Maroney.”

Sonya’s day had in fact gotten worse.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as some of you may know, Sonya's story is my second project at the moment. MY Four Horsewomen of Las Vegas work tends to get priority but I will have a couple of days off from it (we just hit THREE THOUSAND HITS! And I'm releasing special content I've already written). This means I can give our Blue Moon more of my attention.
> 
> As usual I'll remind anyone whose interested that I would LOVE to have you on board this project writing your very own character!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Make sure to share this story if you liked it! 
> 
> What did everyone think? Is this the end of our group? What do you think was on Sonya's paper? How will her match go?


	6. Chapter 6: Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya and Mckayla meet for the first time in the ring, but their match turns out to be only the second most impactful of the day.

Sonya’s breath left her in a pained grunt as she hit the mat hard. As she did she heard the oh so familiar clattering sound of the canvas which helped to cut through the fog in her head. She blinked once before rolling quickly over onto her stomach and staying down as Mckayla Maroney lept overhead and headed toward the ropes. Sonya regained her feet just in time to leapfrog up and over the oncoming gymnast as she came off the ropes.

Mckayla had just hit Sonya with a running back elbow, as they’d scripted. What they hadn’t scripted was for Mckayla to actually drive her elbow hard into Sonya’s chest. She’d been in the ring with stiff workers before but she hadn’t been expecting it here. In the split second, she had to see Mckayla's face as she approached Sonya thought she saw a gleam of malicious triumph in her eyes.

And without thinking, Sonya responded in her own way. She would never be comfortable actually striking someone else in anger while in the ring. She was the opposite of stiff. But she was now supposed to meet Mckayla with a shoulder block which would send the other woman down the canvas just as Sonya had been a minute before. Sonya intended to do so but instead of any old shoulder block she flew.

Leaping high once more she contorted herself until she was parallel with the mat. As she did she began twisting around her Y-axis. She was still at shoulder height when Mckayla hit her and the other woman still went down to the mat, just with a look of wide-eyed surprise. But Sonya wasn’t done yet. She was supposed to go for a cover now and Mckayla was supposed to kick out at two. Instead, Sonya bent her knees and sprung once more.

When she landed it was only after executing a knees to chest standing shooting star press. Transitioning this into a cover she hooked Mckayla’s arm, heard the two count, and then let the other woman escape. Mckayla shot to her feet, looking angry now, and immediately locked Sonya up in a collar and elbow tie up.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing bitch?” Mckayla hissed through gritted teeth as they struggled back and forth. 

Sonya hadn’t actually intended to make this a real test of strength but it became instantly apparent that Mckayla did. Before she could even adjust to this Mckayla had driven her back into the corner, pressing her back painfully up against the turnbuckles. The Forge referee began counting and just before he reached his limit Mckayla raised her arms and stepped back. 

Sonya was trying to catch her breath when Mckayla suddenly slapped Sonya’s chest hard with an open hand, The loud cracking noise this made was enough to drown out Sonya’s involuntary hiss of pain as she bent forward at the shoulders. A moment later Mckayla had locked her up in another collar and elbow tie up and was pulling her out of the corner.

“Maroney! Ease off!” Gail Kim, the forge’s head female instructor, called from where she stood at ringside next to Ken Shamrock.

“Don’t you dare try to show me up again!” Mckayla snarled in a low enough voice that it wouldn’t carry. She then transitioned her hold on Sonya to a side headlock, again applied with too much pressure, before executing a side headlock takeover. Sonya found herself flat on her back with Mckayla squeezing her head with all her might. It took only a few moments before Sonya knew her face would be turning red.

“Maroney!” Gail Kim shouted again, this time in a warning tone of voice. Mckayla heeded her and let Sonya go. Rolling quickly away Sonya shot to her feet and prepared for what was supposed to come next. Mckayla had already reached the far side of the ring and without a pause launched herself into a series of back handsprings. She was supposed to end by landing a springing back elbow against Sonya in the corner. Instead, she landed on both feet just in front of Sonya and slapped her hard on the side of her head.

“Your girlfriend isn’t in here to save you now,” Mckayla hissed as she threw herself into another back handspring away from the corner. She would now hit Sonya with a running body press before going for a cover. 

When they’d been planning this trial match Mckayla had begun their meeting by categorically insisting that she would not lose. Sonya, unable to stand up for herself in almost anything when she wasn’t actually in a ring, had agreed. Despite this, she’d actually felt a flicker of annoyance at Mckayla’s stubbornness. They were supposed to be showcasing BOTH of their skills for the staff, it didn’t really matter who won.

Sonya let herself be flattened with unnecessary force into the corner by Mckayla and then allowed herself to be covered. She duly kicked out at two and then rolled away. When she reached her feet it was her turn to go on the offensive. Ducking under a scheduled lariat from Mckayla Sonya came back up and launched a series of elbows. She preferred to use these in the ring because she felt she had more control over them and she thought it looked ridiculous for someone of her size to be trying to trade punches.

To her dismay Mckayla barely sold these blows, and by the end wasn’t doing so at all. Even when Sonya came off the ropes and hit her with a low angle dropkick in the midsection, which she of course pulled, the other woman barely bent over in reaction. Sonya was once again surprised, Mckayla was deliberately trying to sabotage her. 

And so Sonya once again adjusted her plans. She was supposed to execute an Irish whip and then leapfrog over Mckayla once before meeting her rebounding opponent with one of her own signatures: a mule kick. She tweaked this as Mckayla approached when she leapt she didn’t merely leapfrog she drew her legs up under her and fully cleared Mckayla before twisting a full 360 degrees and landing in a crouch. Mckayla was still coming back but rather than executing a simple mule kick Sonya backrolled until she was standing behind her opponent and lashed out with both feet.

She actually hadn’t meant to make contact but Mckayla had stopped running too early and Sonya ended up driving both feet firmly into the other woman’s butt. Mckayla went stumbling forward with a muttered curse. But Sonya had been wrestling for a long time and knew that mistakes sometimes happened, you just had to move on. The next spot was to feature her running forward and executing a hurricanrana. She embellished this by quickly ducking out to the apron, springing up onto the top rope, and launching herself three-quarters of the way across the ring.

Landing snuggly on Mckayla’s shoulders Sonya didn’t immediately finish her scheduled move. Instead, she backrolled down Mckayla’s body, landed on her feet, and then leapt up once more onto the other woman’s shoulders. Only then did Sonya lean back and yank Mckayla forward with her legs. It was Mckayla’s turn to hit the mat too hard.

“Alright enough!” Gail Kim said, she sounded fully angry now as she stormed up into the ring. Ducking between the ropes she waited for Mckayla to stand before shoving both her and Sonya back a pace. She wasn’t a very tall woman, none of them were, but Sonya shrunk at the sight of the anger in her eyes.

“Hey!-” Mckayla said indignantly as she was shoved.

“ZIP...IT!...” Kim snapped at her before went on “...I don’t know what the hell you two are thinking but in case you forgot this is a TRAINING MATCH. And what you two were doing would be unprofessional in a real one! I don’t care whatever BULLSHIT issues you two have with each other, when you are between my ropes you will both act like professionals do you understand!”. 

By the time she finished speaking her eyes were flashing fire and her voice brooked no debate, all Sonya and Mckayla could do was mutter “yes.”

“Now get the hell out of my ring and hit the track, both of you, I’ll tell you when you can stop” Kim grumbled as she pointed at the indoor track that ran around the perimeter of the main floor and it’s five rings. Mckayla shot Sonya a withering look at this as they both left the ring. For her part, Sonya was in despair.

What had she been thinking? She’d let Mckayla get under her skin for one moment and this had happened. Sonya might not have been working particularly stiff, at least not on purpose, but Mckayla had been. And thus to anyone who was watching it would SEEM like Sonya had been as well. She should have just stuck with the plan, let Mckayla have her win and hope they never had to work together again. 

Instead she’d let herself get too carried away. Almost the only place this happened was in a ring, as it was basically the only place where she could feel confident. But now she had angered Gail Kim, one of her heroes growing up, all so she could work in a few measly acrobatics. And because of this, she hadn’t even FINISHED her match. Sonya was actually glad to be running on the track, it meant she wouldn’t have to rejoin the rest of her training class as they sparred.

This was mostly because she didn’t want to have to face them, but she’d be lying if she told herself that was the only reason. There was currently a rift among her closest friends. Britney Shane and Noelle Foley weren’t speaking to each other over comments Britney had made in an ill-judged attempt to motivate Noelle. Her other friend, Alexia England, was annoyed with both of them over this and had washed her hands of the conflict. 

This had left Sonya in the awkward position of peacemaker and message carrier in the day since it had happened. This was hard on Sonya not only as someone who was a friend to all of them but as someone who really struggled when it came to taking the social initiative. As things now stood she thought it was likely that her three friends would all go their own ways, all expect Sonya to come with, and ultimately leave her alone when she couldn’t choose.

Sonya had been running for fifteen minutes, stuck with these thoughts, and only dimly aware of what was happening in the ring. She did look over once when an angry shout drew her attention. She saw Shawne Merriman having to be restrained by two other students. The former NFL player was snarling and roaring as he tried to escape his captors. Standing silently across the ring was Kim Jon Su, the Korean man had his arms folded and seemed only mildly interested in the proceedings.

Sonya was just finishing her sixteenth lap, and feeling each of the previous ones acutely, when her attention was again drawn to the ring. This time because Britney Shane and Noelle Foley were both stepping between the ropes, looking stonily at each other. Sonya hadn’t been told she could stop so she wouldn’t but she was definitely dragging her feet now as she continued around the track.

Britney and Noelle began their match with a collar and elbow tie up. They transitioned this between a number of different grapples and holds, ending with Britney holding Noelle in a hammerlock. Noelle then reversed this into a hammerlock of her own before hoisting Britney up and dropping her back in an arm trap back suplex. The clatter of Britney’s shoulders hitting the mat echoed around the main floor. 

But Britney wasn’t even phased, she shot to her feet and began circling Noelle once more. When the two came together again Britney shot Noelle’s leg out from under her and then dropped an elbow onto the inside of Noelle’s leg. Once more the two women separated and began to circle. And this was the pattern for their match.

It was clear neither Noelle or Britney wanted to show any sort of weakness. As time wore one they began trying more and more complicated maneuvers, well beyond what would have been expected from a training match. But it was when Britney managed to squirm out of the way of Noelle’s attempted GTS that they really got going. 

By this point Sonya and Mckayla were making no attempt to disguise the fact that they were walking around the track. They, like everyone else, were fixated on the ring. Britney drove Noelle’s back hard down into the mat with a spinebuster to no comment from Gail Kim or Ken Shamrock. Shortly thereafter Noelle connected on a thundering belly to belly suplex. The match only ended when both women, maybe by plan and maybe by circumstance, went for a clothesline at the same time. Neither was able to regain their feet.

The rest of the class was looking on in awe. Britney might have been relatively inexperienced but it was very clear that she was a natural. Noelle might believe she was only a legacy but the knowledge she’d gained by growing up around the business had been on full display. And now both women were so exhausted that they just remained laying on the mat. Both of their chests heaved up and down and Sonya could see the sweat glistening on their arms.

“Alright, the rest of you get out of here, we’ll finish your matches tomorrow” Shamrock called as he and Gail Kim got into the ring and pulled the two competitors to their feet. Both instructors gave the two students hard searching looks, as though they were re-assessing them. Sonya saw that Mckayla had started running again and so she did too but a moment later Kim called them over.

When they were both standing in front of her again she gave them both a stern look and said “both of you are extremely talented women, DON’T piss it away by doing stupid shit like you did earlier. I hope that last match you were watching when you were supposed to be running taught you something. You can go hard without going over the line.”

Sonya nodded but Mckayla just looked away. Kim looked like she might call the Olympian on this but in the end, just shook her head and walked away. Before Mckayla could let loose with one of her cutting comments Sonya left too. She’d seen that Noelle and Britney were both still leaning against the apron breathing hard, Alexia standing by nervously. Hesitantly Sonya made her way over and stood beside the tall Englishwoman.

None of them spoke as the rest of their class filtered away, eventually leaving the four of them alone. Sonya’s sense of anxiety was rising fast and she positively squirmed under the tension. Alexia’s eyes were darting back and forth between Noelle and Britney as though she were worried that they might attack each other at any moment. For their part, both Noelle and Britney’s breathing was slowing now though they both were still looking down.

Eventually Britney broke the silence saying “look Noelle...I’m sorry for what I said but...you HAVE to know that you belong here”. She had to pause every few words to catch her breath once more. For awhile Sonya thought Noelle might not answer. But just when this thought was becoming a certainty Noelle spoke up.

“I’m sorry...I overreacted. I just...it hit really close to home,” she said haltingly. A moment later she looked up at Britney and offered her hand. Britney took it and a moment later pulled Noelle in for a hug.

“You two need to get over here as well,” Britney said over Noelle’s shoulder. Both Sonya and Alexia grinned and a moment later they were all locked together. As usual, Sonya felt slightly ridiculous based on how much shorter she was but mostly she was feeling an almost palpable sense of relief. 

“I’m going to need a box” she actually joked, surprising herself most of all. All three of her friends laughed heartily at this as they all turned to face inward toward each other.

“You two are so stupid,” Alexia said happily to Noelle and Britney.

“And gross, I’m so sweaty!” Noelle said. She smiled then for the first time Sonya had seen since her fight with Britney.

“Don’t care, bring it in” Britney said as she pulled Noelle tighter to her side.

“We need a name for this little crew of ours,” Noelle said as she pretended to try and fend Britney off.

“Why?” Britney asked.

“Why not?” Alexia responded happily.

“Is this another wrestling thing? Like, do all groups have to have names?” Britney asked.

“They’re called stables in wrestling” Noelle pointed out.

“Why?” Britney asked for the second time.

“They just are” Alexia said exasperatedly.

“Well I got nothing on a name,” Britney said. No one else seemed to either and the group fell silent until Sonya surprised them all by speaking up.

“What about ‘the Crew’” she asked. Her friends all turned to look at her and blinked. She instantly felt her face flush and she looked down muttering “...never mind”.

“No! I like it!” Britney told her encouragingly.

“Yeah, me too!” Noelle said eagerly.

“I think we have a winner!” Alexia said as she gave Sonya’s shoulder a squeeze. As if on cue they all separated then but the other three continued to beam at Sonya.

“You should speak up more often Blue, you’ve got good ideas!” Noelle said, using the groups nickname for Sonya whom, for her part, blushed still hotter. But before she could say anything Britney chimed in.

“Yeah, like showing up that bitch Mckayla in the ring!” she said with a big grin.

“Hell yes,” Alexia said as she grabbed Sonya’s wrist and held her arm over her head like a referee announcing she was a winner.

Sonya just smiled as they all retreated into the locker room to prepare to head out. She was much more content than she usually was with her social life. Her friends were back together and she wouldn’t be forced to choose sides in a split. She was so happy that, for a few minutes, she was able to forget what was on the paper that Raven had given her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay here readers, but I'm glad to get back to writing Sonya. Her story is a fun and satisfying one to write because I feel like she's so very relatable to so many of us. And I really hope that comes through in my words and that you enjoy reading them!
> 
> Still seeking contributors on this one!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7: Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya and her friends get in some weekend training before Sonya reveals what's been secretly bothering her.

The grip closed with steel like strength around Sonya North’s neck. As it did her eyes flashed from side to side, seeking any convenient means of escape. Her hands when to her assailant’s wrist but she could as easily have pried apart a large padlock as she could have the fingers around her neck. 

“Finally caught you, damned little pest,” Alexia England said as she braced her other hand underneath Sonya’s right arm. She then took a pair of shuffling steps before heaving Sonya upward with all her might. The biel throw was textbook and had things gone according to Alexia’s plan Sonya would have been sent soaring across the ring. They didn't.

The moment Alexia had released her Sonya tucked her legs up to her chest and continued her rotation. Instead of landing on her back she rolled forward several times and came up in a crouch on the opposite side of the ring. Alexia, for her part, threw her hands up in exasperation.

“I give up, honestly, it’s impossible to catch her,” the Englishwoman said as she wiped sweat out of her eyes. She was a full foot taller than Sonya and outweighed her by over forty pounds. But none of this had helped her catch the quick and agile Sonya. And they’d been sparring for almost twenty minutes.

“Robo-woman always manages to,” Noelle Foley called from beside the ring. She was referring to their other friend Britney Shane. 

“I heard that!” Britney shouted from where she was hitting a heavy bag a little apart from the rest of the women.

It was a Saturday at the Forge and as such there were no formal classes going on. But the facility remained open all day for any students who wished to come in and get in some extra training. And there were a great many people who chose to take advantage of this opportunity. And so the four friends had relocated to one of the secondary training rooms rather than work on the main floor, which was very crowded.

“I know that’s why I said it so loud” Noelle called back to her with a grin. She usually chose some form of robot or cyborg nickname when it came to Britney. This was in tribute to her almost unnatural stamina and conditioning. But also because Noelle liked bugging her.

“Stop trying to chase her around and let her come to you,” Britney said distractedly as she landed a series of hard kicks on the bag. Britney did indeed have more success than either Noelle or Alexia when it came to wrestling Sonya, and this strategy was a large part of how she’d done it. Sonya was a high flyer in every wrestling sense of the word. She was never happier than when she was leaping through the air or zipping around the ring.

But if Sonya liked to move at 1,000 mph then Britney preferred a slow and methodical slog. When she attacked she was surgically precise, combining powerful strikes with an array of painful submission holds. And if her opponent decided to go on the attack she had a bewildering array of counters and reversals that she could always snag someone with. In short, it would be hard to find someone with a style Sonya was less prepared to deal with.

“Thank you so much for that advice Ms. training montage,” Alexia muttered sourly as she squared off with Sonya once more. 

“I tried,” Britney said airily.

“Work her into a corner!” Noelle called to Alexia. And that seemed to be what the tall woman was trying to do. It wasn’t a bad idea, Sonya reflected even as she scuttled to the side to prevent it from happening. Alexia was not only the largest of their group but also by far the strongest, as evidenced by her pronounced muscle definition. If she could constrict the ring down to a single corner then Sonya would be in trouble. At least in theory.

When Alexia finally did manage to herd her into a corner Sonya decided it was time to do something fancy. Turning around she grabbed the top rope and leapt up onto the top turnbuckle. She then launched herself into a backflip landing perfectly on both feet directly behind Alexia. Unfortunately, two things had worked against her. First, Alexia was taller than any other opponent she’d faced before which forced her to leap higher to clear her. This necessarily sacrificed some horizontal distance off her leap. Second, Alexia was ready for her.

The moment she landed the smile she always wore when she flew vanished as two powerful hands closed on her shoulders. In most cases, a lift would have required that Sonya be cooperating with Alexia to work, but Sonya was so spritelike and Alexia so powerful that she was able to simply hoist Sonya off the mat on physical strength alone. A moment later Sonya felt Alexia’s hands switch position on her body. One pulling back on her left quadricep and the other planted firmly between her shoulder blades.

She had only a moment to consider this though as a heartbeat later she was rocketing down toward the canvas. She had time to get her hands in front of her face but only just. And even so, the impact was enough to drive the air from her body. Alexia let her go and left Sonya laying face down on the mat contemplating just how perfect that chest buster had been.

“About bloody time,” Alexia said triumphantly from behind and above Sonya. Of course, she wouldn’t have tried a maneuver like that if she hadn’t been confident Sonya would react correctly. The two of them, with Britney and Noelle, had been sparring on and off for almost three weeks now and they’d come to learn each other’s tendencies. Despite this Sonya could still be stunned by how powerful her friend was.

Noelle had obviously noticed Sonya was still laying on the mat and asked: “hey are you okay blue?”. This was Sonya’s nickname among her friends for obvious reasons.

“I’m fine…” Sonya said in a strained voice. She wasn’t injured but she did need time to collect herself.

“I’m sorry did I hurt you?” Alexia asked as she knelt beside Sonya.

“No no I’m okay,” Sonya said as she rolled slowly over onto her back. She cringed once as she managed to sit up and lean against the bottom rope. Looking up at Alexia she gave a weak smile and said “that was a good one.”

“Thanks I do try,” Alexia said sounding relieved as she pulled Sonya to her feet. Sonya and her companions had been working out since early in the morning and as it approached lunchtime their pace had become somewhat lackadaisical.

“Do you guys want to call it for now? I’m getting tired” Britney said as she joined Noelle beside the ring. She had a towel over her shoulder and she did indeed look like someone who had been working very hard.

“That happens?” Noelle asked jokingly.

“Shut up” Britney said as she dug an elbow into Noelle’s side.

“I’m glad I caught you guys before you leave then,” another voice said from across the room. Sonya and her friends all turned to see Gail Kim, the forge’s head women’s instructor, entering the room. Instantly all four women stood up a little straighter. Kim was one of the most decorated female competitors in the history of the business and easily one of the best in-ring workers. It had been a big deal when she’d made the decision to leave Impact wrestling to join the Forge and Sonya for one felt honored to be learning from her.

“Miss Kim” Britney said as she exchanged quick glances with the other women. They were trying to figure out why exactly their instructor was there and why she’d sought them out. Sonya was just as curious but couldn’t manage to look her instructor in the eye. The last time Kim had spoken to her it was to reprimand her over the practice match she’d had with Mckayla Maroney. The memory of it was still enough to make her cheeks burn. She’d let Mckayla manipulate her into playing the gymnasts game in the ring. In the end, Kim had called off the whole match and given Sonya and Mckayla a tongue lashing. Sonya, who had rarely had to be talked to by an authority figure in her life, had been devastated.

“Relax, all of you, you’re not in boot camp,” Kim said as she joined them and looked around the assembled group. Sonya still hadn’t looked up but she sensed that Kim’s gaze lingered on her longer than the rest of the group.

“Have you told that to Shamrock?” Noelle said. It was a continued source of wonder to Sonya that Noelle could joke with their instructors. Sonya got so tongue-tied around them that she wondered if they believed she could speak English. This was just an unfortunate fact of life for her, however. Whether it had been teachers growing up, bosses at work, or now instructors at the forge the story was always the same. Sonya wasn’t good at speaking to anyone but when it came to authority figures she was very nearly mute.

Kim seemed to find Noelle’s remark funny however as she laughed before saying “I just came by since I heard you were all here. I wanted to drop these off with you Shane and you England”. As she said this she handed two sheets of paper to Britney and Alexia.

“What are they?” Alexia asked.

“Scott made some tweaks to the character ideas he had for you. Ordinarily, we would have just given them to you on Monday but since you were here I thought I’d do it now” Kim explained.

“Thank you,” Britney said, sounding somewhat surprised.

“AND…” Kim said and Sonya sensed this was what she’d really been wanting to say “...I caught some of your work in the ring. Alexia, gotta work on smoothing out how you move in the ring, you’re lumbering right now”. Alexia looked abashed at this and Sonya, for the briefest of moments felt a flash of indignation on behalf of her friend. It vanished quickly though, replaced by a kind of guilt at feeling angry toward Gail Kim.

“Thank you,” Alexia said, sounding like she wished she were somewhere else.

“Don’t beat yourself up…” Kim said in a lighter tone “...you’re very good but everyone needs some polish”. Alexia looked somewhat happier at this and Sonya thought Kim would leave but then she heard the instructor say: “and North?”

Sonya felt the familiar flustered feeling that she always did when almost anyone addressed her. A high school friend had once described it well, he’d said that Sonya reacted to any sort of conversation as though it were a pop quiz on the first day of class. She had lost track of the times she’d blurted out random words or phrases like ‘thank you’ or ‘you to’ in response to unrelated prompts, simply because she’d been startled. 

Forcing herself to breathe normally she asked “yes ma’am?” in a croak. She was instantly furious with herself, she’d sounded like a medieval peasant addressing a Queen.

“First, never call me ma’am North and second...great work in the ring. You’re one of the best flyers I’ve ever seen,” Kim said. Sonya’s head came up in surprise at this in time to see Kim give her a quick nod before turning and exiting the room. Sonya just stared after her stupidly, Kim could have said almost anything else and it would have surprised her less.

“Oh my god! See?! We keep telling you!” Noelle said as she put an arm around Sonya. 

“She probably thinks that Kim was lying to her,” Britney said happily as she too put an arm around Sonya’s shoulders. 

“We need to celebrate, something salty and fatty that will completely negate everything we did this morning,” Noelle said as she began steering Sonya out of the room. No one seemed to disagree with this suggestion and half an hour later Sonya found herself bundled into the back of Britney’s car as they drove to a nearby Culvers. A regional burger chain that Sonya had once mentioned to her friends as being pretty good. She was mildly surprised they'd remembered. 

“I can’t believe we haven’t done this yet,” Noelle said from where she sat next to Sonya.

“I know right? How have we not hung out outside of training?” Alexia agreed.

“Well Britney probably doesn’t have time with the 8,000 squats she does before bed,” Noelle teased.

“I do not do 8,000 squats at night…” Britney said testily and when no one spoke she looked around and rolled her eyes saying “...it’s only 1,000.”

“Oh only 1,000, why so few?” Alexia asked dryly.

“I will turn this car around” Britney said in a mock serious voice.

“Honestly how does anyone live here! It’s so cold!” Noelle said as she bent over with her arms around herself. Having been born in Georgia, Noelle was not quite used to the severities of a Minnesota winter.

“Awww would Barbie prefer to be at the beach” Britney teased.

“YES Barbie would prefer to be at the beach obviously, and so would Noelle,” Noelle said as she blew into her hands. Looking indignantly into the rearview mirror she asked “can we have the heat on please.”

“It IS on you wimp,” Britney said. She had been born in Anchorage, Alaska and was as used to cold as Sonya who had grown up in Minnesota. 

“Well make it MORE on,” Noelle grumbled. She and Britney could go back and forth like this forever. Sonya suspected that they both loved it, or at least that it was their preferred method for relating to each other. 

“It is bloody cold here,” Alexia said.

“I thought it got cold in London, doesn't it?” Britney asked curiously.

“Not THIS cold!” Alexia said as she settled deeper into the passenger seat.

“Care to weigh in here Sonya? Back me up a little?” Britney asked before she looked up into the mirror. Seeing that Sonya was staring down at her hands she asked “hey blue what's wrong? I’d have thought you’d be giddy after the compliment from Kim.”

“It’s nothing,” Sonya said automatically as she tried to stuff the piece of paper she’d been holding away into her coat.

“You've been looking like a lost puppy ever since you got that paper from Levy, it can’t be that bad, at least not as bad as mine,” Noelle said. The car tensed for a moment at this, Noelle’s dissatisfaction with the character that had been written for her had led to a brief rift in their group.

Sonya thought about trying to deny this too but she found she didn’t have the strength to do so. It occurred to her then that she didn’t have to handle these problems on her own like she usually did. She had, for almost the first time, a group of friends around her. Maybe they could help? Wordlessly she passed the paper over to Noelle, the same paper she’d been keeping a buried secret since she’d gotten it.

It was pretty worn by now, having been crumpled up and folded so many times, but Noelle still took it with a curious glance. Unfolding it she looked down and began to read, with each passing moment her curious expression was replaced by one of surprise. When she’d done she looked up at Sonya with an almost horror-struck expression. Of course, this hadn’t gone unnoticed by the others.

“What is it?” Alexia asked. Noelle, for once speechless, didn’t answer beyond just passing the paper to her. Alexia began to read and when she was done all she could manage was “shit.”

“Look I obviously can’t read it while I’m driving guys! Someone fill me in, you’re freaking me out” Britney said impatiently. Sonya couldn’t bring herself to speak and Noelle was looking over at her sympathetically as she put a hand on her arm. Alexia looked between them all before she began to read:

“Grasshopper girl, a smooth-talking quip machine who bounces around the ring like her namesake…”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on getting this latest update up friends! But I have some great news! I have two extremely talented co-writers who have agreed to come on board with me to help bring the world of the PWF to life! I can't say more right now but definitely give this work a bookmark so you don't miss any of the fun!
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, I really got into writing it. I want to keep showing that all four of the Crew have legit skills in the ring but also that they have distinct personalities. I feel like I'm kind of failing Alexia in this regard but this will be rectified! 
> 
> So what did you think? Was Sonya finally finding her confidence? And has it been stolen now that we know the character the PWF has in mind for her? Could their be a character worse suited for our quiet Blue Moon?


	8. Chapter 8: Roomates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya and the crew discuss what she should do about 'Grasshopper Girl' before Sonya is reminded why she does what she does.

Ordinarily a butter burger with cheese was one of Sonya North’s favorite things in the world. But today the mound of salty savory goodness held no appeal. She was too caught up with the self-renewing internal anxiety spirals that were so often the bane of her existence. Today they centered on ‘grasshopper girl’. So in a way they centered on her, nothing new there.

 

‘Grasshopper Girl’ was the name of the character that Scott Levy, the head of creative development at the forge, thought Sonya should play in the PWF. And if the man formerly known as Raven thought so it seemed to Sonya that it was unlikely to change. Ordinarily, she would have been thrilled to accept advice from someone like Levy but there was a major problem in this instance. There couldn’t have been a worse suited character for Sonya to play.

 

Sonya was very nearly an agoraphobe due to the strength of her various social anxieties. She could literally worry herself sick in the run-up to even the most minor social gatherings. She rarely contributed verbally while in company and was happiest being left quietly alone by herself. As a result it struck many as odd that Sonya had chosen to become a professional wrestler but in Sonya’s mind it made perfect sense. Almost the only way she felt comfortable relating to other people was through her aerial maneuvers in the ring.

 

Grasshopper girl, on the other hand, was NOTHING like Sonya. The character sheet she’d been given by Levy had laid out a smooth talking, wisecracking, life of the party type. Sonya had read the paper with a mounting sense of horror. Grasshopper girl seemed to be closer to a PG female Deadpool than to Sonya herself. Almost the only thing that seemed to work about the gimmick was that Grasshopper Girl was an active high flyer.

 

And then there was the green. Many would have assumed this was the least of her concerns but for some reason, it really bothered Sonya. As part of his recommendations, Levy had noted that since Sonya was obviously OK coloring her hair (It was a light royal blue) she should color it a mint green for the character. Maybe it was petty but this part might be the one that bothered Sonya most.

 

Sonya had been blue, in the most literal ways, since she was in high school. It was more than her favorite color, Sonya firmly believed that if her soul were given physical form it would be a brilliant blue. And the color not only pervaded her life but also her sense of self. And it felt wrong to toss it aside for something like this.

 

“Hello? Earth to Sonya,” someone was speaking to her. Looking up in confusion she saw her friend Alexia England waving a hand in front of her face.

 

“I'm sorry Alexia I didn’t hear you," Sonya said distractedly.

 

“I asked if you were just going to stare at that burger or if you were going to eat it?” Alexia asked with a small smile. She was obviously trying to bring Sonya out of her head.

 

“Oh...yeah sorry,” Sonya said as she picked up her burger and took a bite that could only be described as perfunctory.

 

“You’re still thinking about that god awful character aren’t you?” Alexia asked. She and Sonya were sitting together in one of the booths in the dining area of the Culvers. Their friends Britney Shane and Noelle Foley were also there but were getting their drinks. 

 

“Yeah,” Sonya admitted sadly.

 

“You should just go and talk to Levy, explain how it's just not going to work,” Alexia urged her.

 

“I can’t...he’s RAVEN and I’m just...me,” Sonya said helplessly.

 

“YOU are the one who has to play the bloody character not him! And you need to stand up for yourself Sonya,” Alexia said. Her last words echoing the same advice Sonya had been getting for most of her life. And it was usually great advice, she just didn’t know how to follow it.

 

“I know...I know...I just…” Sonya started to say but before she could finish they were joined by their friends.

 

“I’ve never even heard of this place before,” Noelle Foley said as she looked around the inside of the restaurant. 

 

“They were midwestern for a long time, I think they are in other places now” Sonya murmured. She found her appetite, never robust anyway, had mostly fled.

 

“She’s not going to go talk to Levy is she?” Britney asked Alexia in a knowing tone of voice.

 

“Doesn’t look like it,” Alexia said with a sigh.

 

“Uh, rude. Sonya’s sitting right here,” Noelle told them both with a frown.

 

“Blue? Anything to add?” Britney asked.

 

“No,” Sonya said sounding miserable. Her head was resting on her forearms now. She felt Noelle put a hand on her back but she didn’t look up at the touch.

 

“You know Levy won’t bite if you just go see him and tell him that you don’t think it will work. And if you think it will be easier don’t phrase it like a rejection, offer suggestions,” Noelle said helpfully.

 

“But what do I say? Everything about it is so wrong. How do I make suggestions to that?” Sonya asked. No one seemed to have any kind of answer to this, which just confirmed Sonya’s worst fears. She would be trapped as Grasshopper girl. And when that went badly, and it would, she'd be on her way out.

 

“Do you want to keep talking about this Blue? Or would you rather have a distraction?” Britney asked. She was the group's unofficial protector but she was most fierce when it came to Sonya. This had been most visible when she’d slapped Mckayla Maroney for taunting Sonya. Sometimes Sonya wondered if this was because Britney thought she couldn't look after herself, but mostly she was grateful to have a friend who cared that much. It wasn't something she was used to.

 

“A distraction please,” Sonya mumbled down into her arms.

 

“OK...but we’re talking about it again later…” Britney said, when Sonya groaned at this she changed the subject by asking “...so what do you guys think of the rest of the class? We haven’t really talked about them except for the bitch brigade”. This last term referred to the small group of women that had formed around Mckayla Maroney.

“I mean...I spend all my time with you ladies so I really don’t know any of them,” Noelle said as she ate a french fry.

 

“Lance is pretty cool,” Alexia said.

 

“Which one is Lance?” Britney asked.

 

“Dark hair and never stops making smart ass comments,” Alexia answered.

 

“Oh right...he’s kinda cute,” Noelle said thoughtfully.

 

“Really?” Britney asked incredulously.

 

“Yeah!...you don’t think so?” Noelle asked her in a matching tone.

 

“Not my type...” Britney said as she lifted her sandwich to her mouth but she stopped to add “...and before you say anything, no, my type is not T-1000, Robocop, or R2-D2.”

 

“I only know one of those names but you suck for being a joke killer,” Noelle told her. Alexia snorted at this and even Sonya looked up from her arms with a small smile on her face.

 

“Hey there she is!” Noelle teased her. Sonya smiled back, she was still feeling extremely anxious about her future but Noelle and Britney’s bickering was oddly comforting to her.

 

“What about Kim or Brannon?” Alexia asked, referring to two more of their classmates.

 

“I think I’ve heard them say maybe two words between them the whole time we’ve been here,” Britney said as she made a face. 

 

“Strong, silent, and hot? What’s not to like?” Noelle laughed.

 

“Honestly do you just think every man you meet is hot?” Britney asked her.

 

“Shut up,” Noelle shot back.

 

“Maybe we should set Sonya up with one of them. They’d have so much to NOT talk about,” Alexia laughed.

 

“Shut up,” Sonya muttered as she blushed. Fortunately, the others were laughing too hard to take much notice. They passed a pleasant hour or so just chatting and eating. Eventually, however, the subject of their living arrangements came up.

 

“Are you still in that hotel Brit?” Alexia asked Britney.

 

“Yeah...I didn’t get my paperwork in early enough and all the forge apartments filled up. I guess I’m going to have to look for a month to month place,” Britney said with a sigh.

 

“Can you afford to do that?” Noelle asked. Sonya looked to Britney nervously at this question, she’d always been raised to never ask others questions about their finances.

 

“No, not really,” Britney said with another sigh. Surprising everyone, herself most of all, Sonya spoke up then.

 

“I have an extra bedroom,” she said almost before she realized what she was doing. More than almost anything else Sonya valued her private time. She loved her friends dearly, all the more so because she hadn’t had many, but she had yet to even discuss her living arrangements with them. That was how much her privacy meant to her. And her friends had seemed to sense this, which was why they were all looking slightly surprised now.

 

“Oh yeah...I forgot you live here” Alexia said. Sonya wasn’t sure if she had actually forgotten or was simply trying to cover the embarrassing pause. Sonya was, in fact, a native of St. Paul (where the Forge was located) and thus hadn’t had any kind of housing issue when she’d begun training. 

 

“Are you sure Sonya?” Britney asked her. It struck Sonya that Britney’s first instinct, despite needing a place to live, was still to make sure that Sonya herself was comfortable. This, more than anything, overcame Sonya’s reluctance to allow anyone into her private space. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve such a friend, or even if she did, but she knew that she had to come through for Britney this time.

 

“Yeah, of course” she said with a smile and a nod.

 

“OK...well uh...I’ll drop you all off at the forge and then go get my stuff if you don’t mind?” she asked Sonya.

 

“Don’t you need more time?” Sonya asked with a frown.

 

“Nah, I just brought the one bag. I wasn’t sure if I’d make the cut so I don’t have much with me…” she said before turning to Noelle and saying sharply “...not a word about batteries or chargers or spare parts!”. Noelle looked disappointed at this and Sonya assumed she’d been about to say something very similar.

 

“OK, well yeah...let’s go then,” Sonya said as she stood and picked up the remnants of her lunch. The other’s joined her in bussing their trays before pulling on gloves and hats. Sonya was doing the same when she felt a tug on her sleeve. Turning she found herself looking down, though not by much, at a young boy who seemed to be about six or seven.

 

“Excuse me...are you Sonya North?” he asked in a shy tone of voice that Sonya knew very very well from personal experience.

 

“Yeah, I am! What’s your name?” Sonya asked with a big smile. Though she struggled mightily to express herself to other adults kids were different. Sonya felt much more at ease in their company. 

 

“Stevie…” the boy said sheepishly.

 

“Hi Stevie it's nice to meet you, have you seen me wrestle?” she asked him, a genuine smile spread across her face as she lowered herself until he could look her in the eye.

 

“Yeah...you’re my favorite,” Stevie said, sounding a bit more confident thanks to Sonya’s friendly words. 

 

“Thank you! That’s so nice of you to say, Stevie!” Sonya told him, drawing a real smile from the boy.

 

“I have this!” he said eagerly as he opened his coat to reveal his t-shirt underneath. It was one of the t-shirts that GLCW had sold while Sonya had worked for them. It depicted her in mid-air, about halfway through a shooting star press. The text around the image read 'A Blue Moon Rising'.

 

“Awww that’s so cool,” Sonya told him. She was going to say more but a woman had walked forward to stand behind Stevie. Sonya guessed she was his mother.

 

“He LOVED watching you with his father and me, you’re really incredible. Would you mind if I took a picture of you two together?” she asked. Sonya, suddenly unable to think of what to say when confronted by another adult (especially a complimentary one) just nodded. In an effort to cover her discomfiture she crouched next to Stevie and wrapped an arm around him as they both looked up at his mother’s phone.

 

“Cheese!” they said just before the flash dazzled them briefly.

 

“Thank you so much,” Stevie’s mother said before leading the beaming little boy away by the hand. Sonya smiled after him for a while as she was reminded of why she wrestled despite the many reasons why she would seem to be ill-suited to the sport. Because she’d connected with that boy and his parents, and she hadn’t had to speak to them or even meet them. All she’d had to do was what she loved most.

 

It was hard for her to describe how strange and yet simultaneously great this felt. Sonya would likely have never been able to connect with Stevie’s parents, and maybe not even Stevie himself if she’d met them in a social situation. But through the language of the ring, she’d managed it. And she loved that she had, and what was more it made her feel warm inside that the family had seemingly loved watching her just as much.

 

So maybe, just maybe, if grasshopper girl was the price she had to pay to connect with even more people she could pay it. Not that she thought it would be easy or that she’d necessarily enjoy all of it. But she realized that she was willing to try. And this thought brought a smile to her face which she was still wearing when she turned and found her friends all looking at her with odd expressions that mixed wide smiles with dumbstruck surprise.

 

“What?” Sonya asked sheepishly.

 

“I have NEVER...since I’ve known you...seen you talk to ANYONE like you just did,” Britney told her looking as though she’d just seen some fantastically rare event.

 

Sonya blushed as she said “I...I like kids.”

 

“Yeah we noticed,” Noelle said.

 

“And you look a lot happier now,” Britney said with a smile.

 

“Yeah I...thanks for listening to me whine today guys” was all she could say. She wanted to say more, to express not only what she’d just been thinking but how much their presence had helped. But she was still Sonya North and that meant she was still very bad at articulating these things. 

 

“What are friends for?” Britney asked happily.

 

“She can’t even eat lunch without running into a fan,” Alexia said as her own grin stretched still wider.

 

“It’s not…” Sonya started to say but before she could finish Noelle had wrapped an arm around her shoulders and had begun to steer her out the door.

 

“Well...here’s hoping we can all be so lucky someday! Now come on Blue! You superstar you! Let’s get another workout in this afternoon, gotta earn those hamburgers”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE news for everyone! Two wonderfully talented co-writers have signed onto our little project here and I hope to have another soon! What will this mean to you, our awesome readers? It will mean that in addition to the adventures of Sonya you'll start seeing content following several other trainees at forge! These stories will be parallel but also will intersect as you view the same events from different perspectives. I can't give more details yet but just let say this: to quote TI "Big shit poppin and little shit stoppin!"
> 
> So what did you guys think of this one? Could Sonya ever make Grasshopper girl work even with all the goodwill in the world? Or will she be forced to eventually confront Levy about it? How will Sonya and Britney work as roomates? Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you!


	9. Chapter 9: Promo Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya may be in a new positive frame of mind but perhaps her biggest challenge still awaits.

 

It had been several days since her revelation at Culver's, and in the intervening time, Sonya North had reached two firm personal epiphanies. The first was that, while she loved Britney Shane and already thought of her as her best friend, they would need some time to adjust to each other as roommates. The second was that days that started with the letter ‘t’ were fast becoming the bane of her existence. 

 

The first epiphany had arrived the day after she’d offered to let Britney move in with her. Sonya worked as hard as anyone when she was at work, and even when working out on her own time, but when she was at home she was a fairly sedentary creature. She liked to sit quietly and read, draw, or even game. She tended to go to sleep early and to then stay asleep for a very long time.

 

Britney agreed with her on the going to sleep early thing, but almost nothing else. The day after their lunch at Culvers had been a Sunday, the day Sonya traditionally slept the latest. Usually, this meant she was awake around noon or even 1 pm on occasion. So when she was dragged back to wakefulness before 9 am it took her mind awhile to fully swim back up to the surface. It was a full fifteen seconds before she was even able to identify what had woken her, a faint but distinct thumping noise coming from her living room.

 

Blinking stupidly she rolled slowly out of bed and yawned mightily. Padding softly over to her door she pulled it slowly opened and stepped out of her bedroom. Rubbing her eyes she blinked as she saw her new roommate was shadow boxing enthusiastically. Or maybe it was shadow kickboxing? Either way, she was doing it so vigorously that the furniture around her was shaking slightly each time she kicked or punched.

 

Britney was clad in more or less the same way she was when she trained at the forge. White shorts and sports bra trimmed in black with grappling gloves. The only real difference was that she didn’t have the kick pads she always wore at the forge and she was wearing a set of wireless headphones. She was facing away from Sonya as she fought the air so for awhile Sonya just watched Britney’s long brunette ponytail sway from side to side.

 

Eventually Britney seemed to sense that she was being watched because she turned and saw Sonya standing there in her pajamas of an old t-shirt and sweats. Taking her headphones off Britney said “Hey! Morning Blue! I didn’t wake you up did I?”

 

“A little,” Sonya said nervously. Even when asked questions like these she was very reluctant to answer them, she had a hard time even hinting at criticism directed toward someone else. 

 

“Oh I’m sorry! I’ll try to be quieter,” Britney said looking and sounding like she meant it. Maybe she had tried, or maybe not, Sonya really couldn’t tell. She’d been woken up every day since then by Britney’s morning workouts. She even did this before she went to the forge, where she would then spend most of the day doing the exact same thing. How that woman exercised.

 

“Just tell her to go outside or go to a gym,” Noelle Foley had told Sonya the Monday after the first incident. Advice that made perfect sense, though Noelle had to realize that Sonya would struggle mightily to follow it. It would involve having to assert herself.

 

"She’s RIGHT! Just tell Britney how you feel and she’ll understand. She’s your friend!” Sonya told herself in her head. But then the darker voice that seemed to always win out in her mental debates reared its ugly head.

 

“Or she’ll get really upset and you’ll lose her as a friend. Or even if she doesn’t she’ll think you are really lazy. Because you are,” this voice whispered.

 

Doing her best to ignore both of these thoughts Sonya had thanked Noelle for the advice and had begun her day. Now that she was a full student at the Forge she had a set schedule. Monday and Wednesday mornings she would work with the instructors on refining her in-ring techniques. The afternoon’s of those days were dedicated to small group or paired applications of these techniques. 

 

Friday mornings were spent preparing with an assigned partner for an afternoon practice match. Which just left her dreaded Tuesdays and Thursdays. And these were the cause of her second major epiphany. And, if she was honest, this second problem would be much more difficult to solve than dealing with Britney’s frenetic workouts.

 

Many students thought of these days as the easy ones. The morning was dedicated to classroom learning and film study. And if this had been all Sonya might have enjoyed them as well. But it was the afternoon sessions that she could already tell might be the things that got her booted from the Forge. They were dedicated to promo practice.

 

Sonya North was a lifelong wrestling fan, she’d grown up glued to the TV whenever any kind of wrestling was on. And though she thought of herself more as a classic ‘rasslin fan (someone who valued in-ring work over storytelling) she’d always been in awe of the great talkers. From the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase to Dwayne Johnson she’d been dumbstruck by people who could effortlessly command the attention of thousands. Sonya herself often had a hard time making herself heard in a conversation with a single person.

 

And yet her Tuesday and Thursday afternoons were now devoted to nothing but talking. What turned this from a mere disaster to a true personal catastrophe for Sonya was that these classes were done in groups. If some cruel person had been attempting to tailor a personal form of torture for her they couldn’t have done much better than forcing her to speak in front of a group of people she barely knew. 

 

Though it seemed someone had done their best to improve on this concept. Because in addition to having to speak in front of a group, she was having to talk in character...as Grasshopper Girl. She’d known from the instant she’d first learned of her proposed character that it wouldn’t work. But perhaps she’d been deluding herself in thinking that it would only go badly...and not horrendously. 

 

Grasshopper Girl was conceived as a fast-talking jokester. The role would call for a non-stop stream of quips and one-liners. Sonya was lucky if she verbalized more than two or three jokes a week...and even more lucky if any of them resonated with her audience. Needless to say, the first promo class had not gone well.

 

She’d spent the first twenty minutes hiding at the back of the group standing around one of the rings in a secondary training area. She was vainly hoping that she might not get called if she did this. No such luck. The class's instructor, Scott Levy himself, had been working alphabetically through a roster. And in the end, Sonya had been called forward.

 

“Alright North, this first one will be easy. Just memorize and read this script. Make me believe it with your delivery and presentation,” Levy had said as he handed Sonya a small notecard containing about a paragraph's worth of text. Sonya’s vision actually swam as she looked down at it. Levy might as well have asked her to levitate objects with her mind as to do what he now wanted her to.

 

Sonya’s breath was coming ragged and her heart pounding as she forced herself to trudge toward the ring. She was doing her best to read the paper as she went but her mind wouldn’t grasp any of the words, they slipped out of her memory the moment they entered. The effort felt like she was trying to pour water into a bucket with no bottom. She was concentrating so hard on this that her foot caught the bottom ring step and she fell forward onto the metal stairs.

 

There was a burst of laughter from the rest of the group at this as Sonya’s face burned red hot. A moment later she felt someone helping her and she turned to see her friend Alexia England bending down beside her. Alexia shot a dirty look at those who were laughing before turning to Sonya and whispering insistently.

 

“Get a bloody grip! You’re going to be fine” Alexia told her as she hauled Sonya up to her feet. Alexia was much bigger and stronger than Sonya so she didn’t seem to have to work hard to do this. Sonya couldn’t answer, though she wished she could have acknowledged her friend’s kindness. Unfortunately, she felt as though if she opened her mouth she might throw up. Each subsequent step up the stairs, through the ropes, and toward the center of the ring seemed to take an eternity. When she finally reached the center of the ring and picked up the dummy microphone from the canvas her hand was shaking so hard she actually dropped it.

 

“What a performance,” someone muttered sarcastically from among the class, setting off a fresh round of laughter which made Sonya freeze anew. She suddenly felt the insane and yet oh so tempting urge to simply flee the ring. Sprint out of the room and head all the way to her car. Her resolution about being willing to pay the price from that weekend was forgotten, all she wanted to do was go home and hide

 

“North, let's go,” Levy called with a hint of impatience in his voice.

 

“I’m sorry,” Sonya muttered in a voice that he couldn't possibly have heard. Lifting the trembling microphone to her lips she said “...h-h-hi I'm...I’m Grasshopper girl and-” but she was cut off by Levy.

 

“Speak up North! It’s not a real microphone so we need to hear you!” he said. Sonya nodded once as she stared out at the faces in front of her. Their expressions were mostly confused or blank, but not all. Alexia was smiling encouragingly and trying to wave her on, Brannon Mccullough's face was completely unreadable, while Araceli Ramos seemed to be enjoying a moment of vicious triumph.

 

“OK,” Sonya told herself as she closed her eyes and tried to calm down to little avail. She was sweating now, sweating more than she would have if she’d just been working a match. She lifted the microphone to her mouth once more and tried again saying “I’m...Grasshopper girl and I-”. 

 

She cut off here as her vision swam in front of her once more, and far more noticeably than before. She was suddenly very aware of how fast her heart was beating and how much she was sweating. The twin tornado sirens of panic and dread in her mind were reaching sonic boom levels. She swallowed hard and blinked but couldn’t bring the room back into focus. 

 

“I...I’m…” were the last things she remembered saying before she suddenly found herself on her back staring up at the faces of Levy, Alexia, and a woman she didn’t know.

 

“She’s awake again,” the woman said as Sonya felt her hand being lifted off the mat and pressure being applied to her wrist.

 

“Sonya are you OK? What happened?” Alexia asked in a worried tone. Sonya got the impression that she was having to hold herself in check to keep from panicking.

 

“I...I don’t...how?” she asked in a dazed voice.

 

“You fainted North, have you been hydrating?” the woman who had been holding her wrist asked briskly.

 

“Yes…” Sonya said, still confused by the situation. She’d fainted? 

 

“Are you alright North?” Levy asked her.

 

“I...I think so…” Sonya said hesitantly. She didn’t feel bad physically. But a dawning sense of horror at what had happened was beginning to make itself known.

 

“Go with Dr. Lusha, she’ll look after you,” Levy said as he stood and walked away. 

 

“Can you help me get her up?” the woman, who was apparently Dr. Lusha, asked Alexia. 

 

“Sure, can I go with her?” Alexia asked.

 

“That’s not up to me,” Dr. Lusha said as she and Alexia helped Sonya to her feet. To Sonya’s mortification, she saw that the other promo class students were still there looking up at her. She couldn’t bear to meet their eyes.

 

“You’re done for the day England, go on,” Levy said as he called another student into the ring. Sonya kept her gaze down as she walked between Alexia and Dr. Lusha out of the ring and then out of the room. She didn’t speak or even look up throughout the whole walk to the infirmary. 

 

She’d fainted...she’d actually fainted! Here she was at either the best or at least one of the best, wrestling schools in the world and she’d actually fainted. And not from intensive physical activity or injury, she’d fainted from nerves. Sonya thought that she would never ever live this down.

 

“Hold it together Blue,” Alexia muttered to her. On some very deep level Sonya appreciated the thought but at this moment she wished Alexia would go away. She wished everyone would go away. All she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die. Fortunately, Dr. Lusha wasn’t the chatty type and throughout her exam of Sonya she was entirely clinical.

 

“Stay here and rest for a while, I’ll come and tell you when you can leave,” the doctor said as she stood from where she’d been sitting beside Sonya’s bed.

 

“What happened to me,” Sonya asked, desperate for the doctor to tell her anything other than what she already suspected.

 

“You fainted, but there’s nothing medically wrong with you. I’d guess you’re under too much stress...maybe this place is too much for you,” Lusha said before she walked away. This left Sonya feeling absolutely crushed. Not just at what she’d said, but at the horrible thought that she might be right. 

 

“She’s wrong Sonya, you know that!” Alexia insisted. But all Sonya could do was stare straight ahead. The darker voice in her mind was in full throat now. Alexia kept up a steady stream of encouragement beside her but Sonya barely heard her. Even when Britney and Noelle arrived she still didn’t speak.

 

“Blue...are you...alright?” Noelle asked, quiet for once.

 

In response Sonya rolled onto her side to face away from her friends. She did this because she didn’t want to talk. She did this because her future was in flames before her. But mostly she did it because she wanted to hide her tears.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my it took much longer than I had hoped to get this one up but never fear friends, the Blue Moon continues to rise!
> 
> I I really enjoy writing Sonya as a character and I hope that comes through in the writing. If you enjoyed reading this I'd be very honored if you'd leave me a kudo, a bookmark, or especially a comment. I love interacting with you all and try to answer each comment. 
> 
> Oh dear our girl is in trouble though isn't she? Can Sonya ever make it in the big leagues with her level of social anxiety? Will her friends be able to help her through this? 
> 
> Note: My co-creators and I are still eagerly seeking co-creators for this work. I feel like it will be at it's best when we have a few people people all writing distinct and memorable characters than can weave in an out of each other's stories. Maybe even a few big 'all hands on deck' collaborative works? If you're interested PLEASE let me know, I'd love to talk about it with you.


	10. Chapter 10: Looking Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya North is still reeling from her disaster from in promo class before a friend throws her a lifeline.

At one point in her life, Sonya North’s most fervent dream had been to someday wrestle for the PWF. Or maybe the WWE, ROH, or even to go to Japan. And she supposed this was STILL her dream though she admitted that it had never looked quite like her current situation. Her training sessions at the forge had devolved into a never-ending spiral of anxiety punctuated by moments of gut turning fear.

 

She was, of course, still in disgrace over the now-infamous incident in which she’d fainted during a promo class. Ever since then she’d been almost completely unable to look at anyone else at the forge, much less speak to them. Indeed if she hadn’t had a roommate, her best friend Britney Shane, she might have entered a state of self-imposed mutism. And it still seemed like a good idea at times.

 

To make matters worse Sonya knew on a deeper level that the rest of her training at the forge was going, if not precisely great, at least well. But for every inch of progress, she made on improving her mat game or even submission repertoire, she seemed to lose a fathom of progress on her promo work. Now she spent all the time she wasn’t in that particular class dreading the moments when she would be, and those moments in terror that she might faint again.

 

It was no way to live and Sonya honestly considered simply quitting. She could go back to working for various upper midwest independent promotions, making an adequate if not great income. It would be so easy, so very easy, to do it. But would she actually be able to continue wrestling? Knowing that she’d had a chance to wrestle for one of the biggest promotions in the world and that she’d run away?

 

She couldn’t answer that question and, at least until she could, simple inertia kept her at the forge. Or maybe there was more to it than that. She had to admit that at least PART of the reason she hadn’t left already was that she knew she’d lose her friends if she did. And Sonya found that she enjoyed having a small group of friends, she’d not had many chances to experience this before.

 

It wasn’t that Sonya North could ever be accused of being unfriendly, at least not intentionally. Her almost overpowering social anxiety (the thing that had caused her to faint) could occasionally make her seem withdrawn but she was never rude. In fact, she was often overly deferential to others. It was more a function of the fact that it was hard to make friends if, as a general rule, you rarely ever spoke with anyone.

 

Growing up in the southern suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota she’d spent far more time lost in her own thoughts or with books and games than with other kids. This tendency had only been accentuated as time had gone by and she’d gotten older. When she’d begun wrestling it had become clear early on that despite her popularity she was not your usual grappler. Many wrestlers reveled in the chance to meet fans or even to taunt them. Sonya had established her reputation based almost entirely on her in-ring work, she could count on one hand the number of times she’d even picked up a microphone in her independent run.

 

Unfortunately for her this sort of thing wouldn’t fly in a company the size of the PWF. In the Premier Wrestling Federation, the wrestlers weren’t just athletes they were personalities. And it was a more than fair question to ask if Sonya would ever reach a point where she could be one as well. If her promo practice was anything to go by the answer might be a resounding no.

 

She’d managed to avoid fainting again in the two classes since her disastrous first effort, but that was the only good news. Each time one of her instructors called her into the ring to try and deliver a promo to her classmates her mouth suddenly locked up. She lost the ability to speak in anything but a high squeak or an inaudible whisper. She actually had yet to finish one of these practice promos as most of her instructors, mercifully in her view, only forced her to embarrass herself for a few minutes before they simply moved on.

 

To make matters worse she had to deal with these embarrassments in full view of people who already seemed to dislike her. The former Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney and her friends Araceli Ramos, Jennifer Storm, and Hannah Hunter had been delighted to hear that Sonya had fainted. Ever since they had kept up a steady stream of barbed comments directed at Sonya that always left her feeling very low. Part of why their taunting affected her so deeply, she knew, was that she believed that they might have a point.

 

Maybe Sonya just didn’t belong here. No one else went to pieces every time they were confronted with the task of simply talking to others. Even the Forge’s head athletic trainer Dr. Annia Lusha had suggested that maybe the stress of the Forge was too much for Sonya. And the strong disagreement of her friends notwithstanding Sonya wasn’t sure the doctor was wrong.

 

She was lost in these sad reflections when she dropped her friend. More specifically she and Britney Shane had been practicing suplexes on each other as part of their Wednesday afternoon practice session. Despite her general state of dissatisfaction with her situation at the Forge Sonya generally liked these times. They broke into small groups and practiced techniques they’d worked on with instructors that morning.

 

The Forge’s head female instructor, Gail Kim, had noted to Sonya that her grappling and submission based arsenals were both lacking severely. This wasn’t surprising as Sonya had rarely used either in her previous wrestling career. She was usually the smallest person working for whatever promotion she was part of and thus often struggled to apply both kinds of offense. But it seemed that Gail Kim wanted her to try.

 

And so Sonya had spent much of the morning heaving with all her might on her larger classmates. Fortunately, she shared these afternoon sessions with Britney, someone who was willing to work with her on her area of weakness. For Sonya, this meant endless repetitions of various kinds of suplexes. For Britney this meant a lot of time hitting the mat.

 

Sonya had just hoisted Britney up for what felt like the five hundredth back suplex she’d done that day. Unfortunately for both of them, Sonya's arms chose this repetition to suddenly begin shaking violently. Sensing the situation both Sonya and Britney tried to correct it. The results were less than ideal.

 

Sonya had tried to accelerate the maneuver to avoid dropping Britney awkwardly. Unfortunately, Britney had tried to roll off Sonya so as to remove her weight from Sonya’s frame. In the end, Britney was forced to throw out both arms to keep from having her face driven into the mat. Sonya ended up trapped underneath her with one of Britney’s shins on the side of her face.

 

“I’m sorry Blue, I should have checked to see if you were getting tired,” Britney said as she wiped sweat from her brow.

 

“No no I should have...umm...hey Brit?” Sonya asked as she winced and tapped on the side of Britney’s leg. Britney habitually wore kick pads while training and the semi-rigid material was digging into her face.

 

“Oh! I’m so sorry Sonya,” Britney said quickly as she blushed in embarrassment.

 

“North! Please don’t injure your fellow students!” Ken Shamrock shouted as he passed the ring Sonya and Britney were training in.

 

“I’m fine,” Britney called back but Shamrock ignored her as he kept walking. Sonya was still lying spread eagle out on the mat staring forlornly up at the ceiling. She didn’t move or speak even as she felt Britney sit down next to her.

 

“Let’s do something else Blue,” Britney said.

 

“Ok…” Sonya said sadly. She didn’t feel like doing anything but she also didn’t want to argue. She supposed Britney had another kind of suplex she wanted to try.

 

“Can you show me some of your flying moves?” Britney asked earnestly. Sonya looked quickly over at Britney with a small frown. Sonya had never seen Britney do any sort of aerial maneuver before, or even attempt one.

 

“Uh...okay....” Sonya said, her general sadness overcome momentarily by her surprise. She stood slowly and helped Britney up. “Any kinda move you were thinking about?” she asked.

 

“I don’t know if I’m ready to go all the way to the top rope yet, but you do stuff off the 2nd rope right?” Britney asked.

 

“Umm...yeah...that’s probably best,” Sonya agreed as she walked toward one of the corners. Britney followed her and Sonya waved her up to the second rope. “Actually...I bet you can already do a bunch of stuff like an ax handle or a spear.”

 

“Hmmm probably…” Britney said thoughtfully as she clambered up to the second rope “...but I was thinking something more like your stuff though.”

 

“What do you mean?” Sonya asked.

 

“Like that thing, you did last friday against Noelle,” Britney said as she sat on the top turnbuckle. Sonya thought back, she had worked a training match against Noelle but she’d used several moves from the second rope.

 

“The rolling senton?” Sonya suggested.

 

“Yeah, that one!” Britney said excitedly. Sonya actually smiled softly as she walked to another corner and leapt up to the second turnbuckle. She then proceeded to throw herself forward into the same maneuver. Springing back up to her feet Sonya turned toward Britney.

 

“Now you try it,” Sonya said. Britney looked apprehensive.

 

“So just a forward somersault?” she asked.

 

“Kinda, but in a real match, you’ll need to be about a third of the way through your rotation when you make contact,” Sonya explained. Britney nodded and then listened diligently throughout Sonya’s explanation of the exact way to execute the move. The rolling senton wasn't actually that dangerous by her usual standards but there was always the potential for injury if one wasn't careful. And she damned sure didn't want an injury to her friend added to her already overflowing plate of anxieties.

 

They then spent what was, for Sonya, a somewhat frustrating hour working the move. Britney, for all her athletic gifts, seemed to really be struggling to grasp the technique. But Sonya remained patient and in, the end they called it a day after Britney was able to hit Sonya with four successive perfect rolling sentons.

 

“That felt really good…” Britney said looking flushed with satisfaction before she added: “...but I think I’m going to stick with grabbing body parts and twisting them until people squeak.”

 

Sonya giggled as they ducked out of the ring and said: “you’re so weird.”

 

“So are you” Britney teased her back as they headed toward the locker room. When they’d changed they headed out to the parking lot and got into Britney’s car, she and Sonya carpooled and alternated driving.

 

“So what are you doing this weekend Blue?” Britney asked as they drove home. Sonya was surprised by the question and she had to think for a moment before she answered.

 

“Nothing I think, I was going to go see my sister maybe,” Sonya said. Then she noticed that Britney was looking at her with a half pitying half exasperated expression. “What?” Sonya asked, worried that she’d said something wrong.

 

“Oh my god, Blue did you forget that Collision is in St. Paul this weekend?” Britney asked with an eye roll.

 

Sonya had in fact forgotten this. Collision was the PWF’s weekly televised Saturday show. And for the most part, it was the only place outside of PPV’s where you could see wrestlers from both Alpha and Omega on the same show. Occasionally they even let a few people from Protégé appear.

 

“Oh yeah, did you want to maybe watch it together?” Sonya suggested tentatively. She thought of Britney as her best friend but she always got nervous suggesting plans to the brunette. She could never quite shake the apprehension that Britney might think her suggestions were dumb.

 

“Yes, dummy…” Britney said exasperatedly “...I DO, we’re going to watch from backstage!”

 

“What?” Sonya asked stupidly.

 

“If you weren’t always mentally berating yourself you’d have heard this when Shamrock told us. We can go and hangout backstage for free! So are you coming with?” Britney asked.

 

“I don’t know Brit...I...meeting that many new people-” Sonya started to say. The very idea of being backstage with the people she’d been watching on TV for so long was already making her anxious. What if she had to speak to someone like Dustin Wade? Or god forbid Tenille Dashwood.

 

“You’ll be FINE Sonya, Noelle and Alexia are going too and we’ll stick together as a group,” Britney assured her. Sonya was still hesitating despite Britney’s words. If she had one skill she actually was confident in it was her ability to make excuses to get out of plans. And now she was wishing she’d left herself more wiggle room to use one now.

 

“OK,” she finally said reluctantly. It had struck her that it would be more difficult to beg off these plans as she actually shared an apartment with Britney.

 

“Coolness!” Britney said happily as she turned down the street toward their building. After they’d parked Sonya grabbed her bag from the back of the car.

 

“I’m showering first,” she said with a smile as she hurried toward their door.

 

“Hey, no fair!” Britney called after her. She’d just received a text that had made her smile but this expression was gone as she hurried to catch up.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sage of Sonya continues! I've had this one done for awhile but it felt like this was the right time to release this one. 
> 
> Sonya is such a fun challenge to write as she is a physical character with a very internal challenge. It's a fun juxtaposition that has been a stretch for me as a writer and I believe it's helped me grow as a writer. And I hope it comes through to you all!
> 
> So what did everyone think of this chapter? Can Britney keep acting as a shield for Sonya or will she eventually need to stand on her own? Who caught Britney playing Sonya bit (for her own good of course)? What can we expect from the Crew at Collision?
> 
> Thanks for Reading!


	11. Chapter 11: Collision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya and the Crew attend their first ever PWF TV show: Collision!

As a native of St. Paul, Minnesota Sonya North had been to the Roy Wilkins Auditorium several times throughout her life. She’d even been there for a WWE house show as a little girl. That night had been one of the things that had set her on the path to becoming a wrestler. So it was something of a surreal experience for her to be there not as a fan, but as part of the show. Well, she was kind of part of the show.

Sonya was at the venue to see ‘Collision’ the Premier Wrestling Federation’s weekly Saturday show. Collision was ostensibly a ‘minor’ show in that it didn’t have its own distinct roster. But it occupied a special place in the heart of PWF fan’s because it was the only regular occasion that they had to see wrestlers from both major PWF shows, Alpha and Omega, in one place. Ordinarily, the two groups were kept completely separate save for traveling champions and at Pay Per Views.

Sonya was of course not a member of either Alpha or Omega. Nor was she yet even part of Protege, the PWF’s developmental territory. She was still just a student at the Forge BUT this did qualify her as PWF in-ring personnel. As such she enjoyed the ability to attend any PWF event she liked free of charge. Given that each weekly show involving the main roster was held in a different location each week she wouldn't often have the chance to take advantage of this while still a student. But this week Collision was in St. Paul, the home territory of the PWF.

Despite this access, Sonya would not have attended the show if left to her own devices. She was so prone to social anxiety and shyness that the very idea of being backstage at a PWF show and maybe meeting some of her heroes was enough to make her begin sweating. Add this to the fact that she’d fainted in her first promo class and you had the reason why Sonya was not eager to associate with more PWF personnel than she absolutely had to. Under normal circumstances, she would probably have just watched the show from home and regretted not going later.

But things had changed in her life, she could no longer hide from the whole world in her apartment by ignoring her phone. Now she had a roommate in the form of her best friend, Britney Shane. Britney, who was seemingly immune to anxiety, had insisted that they go and had made clear she wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. As awkward as Sonya was, and as powerful as her fear of social situations could be, she was even less able to argue with others.

So she’d been told to get dressed and then more or less frog-marched out of her apartment and to Britney’s car. A short drive later they’d found parking in a nearby ramp and then hurried through the cold winter night to reach the side security door for the auditorium. There Sonya had experienced one of the minor flares of panic that marked most of her life when they’d handed the passes they’d received at the forge over to the guard. What if they didn’t work?

Of course, this hadn't happened and the guard had buzzed the two of them into the building. Sonya was honest enough to admit that she wouldn’t have been entirely displeased if the passes hadn’t worked and they’d been forced to go back home. In fact, she would have been quite pleased. But then she considered how disappointed Britney would have been.

“You are SO SELFISH! Stop it! This is going to be great for you and your career!” she scolded herself internally. As she did she followed Britney through the door and then halted beside her. They had been stopped by a large man in a PWF polo, dark slacks, and wearing a headset.

“Can I help you two?” he rumbled down at them. Sonya was deeply grateful that she was there with Britney now because if she’d been alone she would likely have not been able to respond.

“Hi, we’re students at the Forge,” Britney identified them.

“That way, follow the hallway and you’ll run into the people waiting for you,” the man said as he pointed with a twinky sized finger.

“Thank you!” Britney said happily as she put her arm in Sonya’s and led her in the direction the man had indicated. As they walked Sonya did her best to try and take in everything around her. When she’d been wrestling on the indy scene she’d never been in a venue like this. The largest she’d ever performed in had only held 1,000 people.

Sonya had a bad habit of trying to suppress her smile when she was in public. Or at least she’d been told it was a bad habit. For some reason, she always assumed that people might think she was weird if she walked around grinning. But tonight she was finding it almost impossible to keep a lid on the expression, she was really here. When she and Britney had walked a fair distance they were hailed by a familiar voice.

“Shane! North! Over here” a familiar voice called. Turning they saw Lisa Marie Varon, one of their Forge instructors, standing by several large wheeled cases. Varon, known in the WWE as ‘Victoria’ and in TNA/Impact as ‘Tara’, was an awe-inspiring figure for Sonya. She was a seven-time women’s champion between both companies and still considered one of the best female in-ring workers ever. Sonya definitely struggled to speak around her.

“Ms. Varon! Nice to see you,” Britney said as she tugged Sonya along toward their instructor. They were walking along a curved hallway so it was only when they were closer to her that they saw the group of people standing with Lisa. Of the dozen or so people Sonya recognized most from around the Forge, though many were more senior than her. Interspersed among these were three other people from their class.

Lance Douglas, whom Britney privately referred to as ‘motor mouth’, was there. He was chatting up a female student from another class and apparently doing so well as she was obviously amused. Sonya actually found Lance very funny but she couldn’t work up the courage to actually talk to him. Britney didn’t share this view, she tended to find Lance to be at most mildly amusing.

Also present was John Crisom. The man had actually joined the Forge in the class before Sonya’s initially. But he’d been forced to take a leave from the place to deal with some personal issues. When He’d returned he had been inserted into Sonya’s cycle. The colossal man, he was easily the biggest person in the Forge, was engrossed in conversation with another student.

The final member of their class present came as something of a surprise to Sonya, and presumably Britney as well. Ivy Buthelezi-Vida might have been called their class oddity. The South African woman was the only person in the class who was less sociable than Sonya herself. But whereas Sonya was simply cripplingly shy, Ivy, at times, seemed to be openly hostile toward others. So it came as something of a surprise to see her there tonight.

“Show’s about to begin everyone so listen up!...” Varon said as she clapped her hands once for attention “...three quick things. First, do NOT leave the backstage area. We had a student decide that she would announce herself to the world by walking out to the stage two years ago and she was out of the Forge so fast her head hadn’t stopped spinning by the time she hit the ground. Second, stay out of the way of the backstage personnel because they are here doing a job. Finally, try to learn something.”

With that, she set off leaving the students exchanging confused looks. Eventually, the group began moving slowly in the direction Lisa had left in though Sonya and Britney stayed near the back. This earned them both a resentful glance from Ivy before she too began to follow the rest of the crowd. Britney looked like she was about to say something when they heard a familiar shout.

“Hey! Sorry, we’re late!” Noelle Foley called as she hurried up to them from the direction of the security door. One look at Noelle made Sonya feel decidedly shabby. The blonde woman was wearing a long-sleeved cashmere dress with knee-high boots and leggings. The whole outfit was completed by a wool trench coat and chunky scarf. Though Sonya was often slightly jealous of how effortlessly Noelle was able to look glamorous tonight her friend looked like a true fashion plate.

“Someone wouldn’t stop primping in time,” Alexia England muttered from slightly behind Noelle. Alexia had elected for a look featuring blue jeans and boots that only accentuated her long legs. To these, she’d added an olive green blazer and a dark shirt.

“Excuse me for wanting to look good the first time I’m backstage at an event for the company I want to work for someday,” Noelle said exasperatedly. Then she took a good look at Britney and Sonya and rolled her eyes in a despairing sort of way before asking: “what are you two wearing?"

“What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?” Britney asked indignantly. She was wearing faux leather pants, calf boots, and a leather jacket over a long sleeve t-shirt.

“Nothing if you’re cosplaying as a bounty hunter,” Noelle said.

“Oh will you shut up” Britney muttered as she set off in the direction the rest of the group had gone. Noelle laughed as she and Alexia set off after her. Sonya, as usual, had to hurry to keep up with their much longer legs. Despite this, she was grateful that Noelle had elected not to comment on her own clothing.

Sonya was a committed jeans and sneakers girl and so she was wearing her favorite pair of both. Rather than change her long sleeve t-shirt she’d elected to simply put on a belted black coat. Now that she saw Noelle, however, she was heavily second-guessing her choices. This was her chance to make a first impression on people who might be her peers someday, and she was terrible at first impressions. Shouldn't she have done everything she could have to maximize her chances?

“Stupid!” she scolded herself silently as she finally caught up with her friends. As she did she heard the tail end of a remark that Alexia was making.

“...that Maroney didn’t show,” the tall British woman was saying.

“Yeah that is weird...or Merriman for that matter,” Noelle said contemplatively. Sonya had, in fact, noticed that the two people in the class who seemed to dislike her most hadn’t shown up tonight. She didn’t choose to dwell on why this was however, she was just grateful.

As they made their way further inside they came across more and more signs of the show that was about to start. They passed a catering area, a group of people who seemed to be repairing damaged ring gear, and finally had to stop as Sonya recognized a familiar set and pair of people ahead of them.

Putting a hand on Britney’s elbow she half whispered: “That’s Lena Yada!”.

Britney, who had stopped walking, looked over her shoulder and asked: “the backstage reporter?”. Sonya blinked once in surprise at this. Britney, despite her obvious talent, hadn’t been a wrestling fan growing up. This meant that her background knowledge wasn’t nearly as strong as the others and that she was still ignorant of some basic facts about the PWF itself.

“Yeah...it looks like she’s about to do an interview with…” Sonya had to crane her neck to see who was standing by Yada before letting out a small gasp and saying “...oh my god that’s Mo’Money!”

Britney snorted in amusement at this and asked: “who?”

But it was Noelle who responded in hushed but exasperated tones saying: “Mona Mo’Money Salama! She’s one of the best wrestlers in the world, she’s the Omega Women’s champion! Didn’t you see the belt?”

Sonya looked again and saw that Salama did indeed have the silver and black belt on her shoulder. It seemed that Salama wasn’t going to be competing that night as she was in street clothes. A yellow pencil skirt, black blouse, and a short leather jacket with gold designer sunglasses on her face. Sonya had to nod at this, Salama was one of the top heels in wrestling and the sunglasses inside thing was a classic heel tactic.

“Let’s keep going,” Britney said eventually. They advanced more slowly however and when they got within twenty feet Lena Yada turned to them.

“Hold up please we’re about to do a hit,” she said before turning back to the producer she and Mona Salama were speaking with. They were close enough now that their conversation could be easily overheard.

“OK so just make sure and hit on the #1 contender match next week and to lay it on hard when it comes to talking about Rosemary,” the producer told Salama. As he spoke a makeup artist was busily touching up the woman’s face.

“No problem, how long are we going?” Salama asked.

“Sixty-second hit I’ll get in three maybe four questions and then throw it back to ringside” Lena Yada answered. Sonya was fascinated. She was seeing how a wrestling show really operated behind the scenes.

“And am I still going out to ringside later?” Salama asked the producer.

“Yeah, Tenille had flight issues so she isn’t here but we’re thinking we’ll just have you do some guest commentary for the match between Sofia Carter and Taka Kanji,” the producer explained.

“Hmm...alright,” Salama said not sounding 100% pleased with this.

Lena Yada, who had two fingers pressed against her earpiece, was nodding before she looked up at Salama and said: “okay fifteen seconds”. At this, both the producer and the makeup artist stepped away and the camera operator stepped forward. Just before fifteen seconds had elapsed the camera operator held up five fingers and counted back to zero before giving Yada a thumbs up, at this the Asian woman began to speak.

“This is Lena Yada backstage with the Omega Division Women’s Champion Mona Salama! Mona thank you for joining me this evening,” Yada said in a much more official sounding voice than she’d been using a mere moment before.

Salama didn’t answer right away instead she looked down at her nails before simply grunting: “mhm.”

“My god she’s good at this” Alexia whispered. Sonya had to agree, the woman had a real gift for building heat. Even this small gesture had been totally loathsome.

“Mona, next week on Omega there will be a #1 contenders match between Tenille Dashwood and Rosemary. Do you have a preference for which one you’d rather be facing at Cataclysm?” Yada asked before holding her microphone out to Salama who, in turn, gave the interviewer a disgusted look.

“You have me, Mona ‘Mo’Money’ Salama in your crappy little interview segment and all you want to ask me about are a freak and a wannabe? I’m the greatest Omega Women’s Champion in history, and that’s all you can ask?” Salama said in a tone of extreme irritation.

“Yes?” Yada asked sounding totally taken aback as though Salama’s reaction was completely unexpected and not something they’d just been discussing.

Salama pursed her lips and exhaled loudly before saying: “Alright, you want to hear what I think about them? Dashwood is a wannabe whose failed in two other company’s so now she’s here to lose to me, she’s a nobody. As for Rosemary? A freak like her has no business holding a title or even being in the PWF. She ain’t in my league and she doesn’t deserve to be in the same ring that I work in. It’s disgusting that Wilson keeps letting her.”

The effortless way that Salama was able to not only slip into character but play that character so well left Sonya feeling very small. The first time she’d even been asked to read a promo in a class she’d fainted. And yet Mo’Money could seemingly manipulate the emotions of tens of thousands on a whim. Sonya just knew that she’d never be able to do that. These gloomy reflections occupied her until she realized that Salama was wrapping up her interview.

“...why don’t you try to dress like a professional next time you speak to me Lena...” she said acidly to the interviewer before she added: “...now get out of my face”. She matched these words by waving both her hands in a dismissive gesture at Yada. The interviewer, looking genuinely uncertain, looked around once before slowly backing out of the camera’s view. This left Mona standing and looking sour until the camera operator made a cutting gesture with his hand.

“Thanks, Mona, have a good time out there,” Yada told the other woman. For her part, Salama didn’t seem to fully hear this remark as she’d already begun walking away. Sonya’s heart leaped and her anxiety spiked dramatically as she realized that the other woman was walking right toward her.

“Out of my way please,” Salama said in a bored tone of voice as she cut right through Sonya and her friends. Though she stopped a few steps past them to look over her shoulder at Noelle. Sonya saw her friend stiffen as she returned the look. But in the end, Salama just walked away without making any comment.

“Do you know her or something?” Alexia asked as she stared at Salama’s back.

“Nope,” Noelle said with a shrug.

“Well someone made a friend,” Britney said dryly. Before Noelle could respond a familiar voice broke in on them.

“North! I’m glad you’re here” Gail Kim said as she approached from the opposite side of the interview set. She exchanged a quick nod with Lena Yada before walking up to Sonya and her friends.

“Good evening Ms. Kim,” Britney said with a nod.

“Shane…” Kim said before returning her attention to Sonya and saying: “...North, come with me please”. Sonya felt her eyes bulge as she looked quickly around at her friends. The unspoken message was ‘someone help me please’. And for a moment she thought Britney might say something but then the Brunette seemed to think better of it. So, without any other options, Sonya swallowed hard and stepped out from the security of her friends and began trudging after Kim.

Her mind was racing as she did. What had she done? She couldn’t think of anything specific which of course left her mind free to assume the worst. She was being told that she had been cut, she knew it. Sonya suddenly found that while her mouth felt very dry her hands were suddenly sweaty. Kim didn’t do anything to break the silence between them as they walked which only sent Sonya’s anxiety deeper into overdrive.

Kim led her to an unlabeled door which she opened and waved Sonya into. Fighting the desire to run away Sonya stepped inside and found herself in a very small locker room. Besides Kim herself, there was only one person inside, an Asian man who appeared to be middle-aged. He had an athletic build that made Sonya think he was a wrestler though he was small for a male competitor. Sonya guessed he was probably shorter than Britney, Noelle, or Alexia.

“North, this is Yoshihiro Asai. Yoshi, this is the girl I was telling you about,” Kim said by way of introductions. Though Sonya was still very nervous the name Yoshihiro Asai had resonated with her memory though she wasn't quite sure why. This puzzle was enough that it actually took the edge off her anxiety for a time. For his part, Asai stood and approached Sonya with an appraising expression on his face. When he reached her he looked her up and down for a few long moments.

Turning to Kim, Asai asked her something in a language that Sonya assumed was Japanese. Kim responded in the same language as she nodded at Sonya. The two were obviously discussing her but she didn’t say anything, she felt somehow that it might be rude for her to interject in English. In the end, both Kim and Asai seemed to be satisfied by the conversation as they both turned back to look at her.

“Very well, I will see you on Monday,” Asai told Sonya in accented English. Sonya’s mouth opened but she found she had no idea how she was supposed to respond to this statement. In the end, Kim had to come to her rescue.

“You’re getting a tutor North, on Monday you’re going to report to Mr. Asai for special training” she explained.

Sonya looked from Kim back to Asai and then managed to squeak “OK.”

“Bring your in-ring gear,” Asai said.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonya's story continues!
> 
> I know it sometimes seems like I'm neglecting the Blue Moon but I want to tell everyone that Sonya is very near and dear to my heart. I've recently been struggling with writer's block and unfortunately, Sonya was one of the casualties of this. However, I seem to glimpse some light at the end of the tunnel so I believe I can promise that the PWF is coming back!
> 
> Some more good news on that, I'm sure you've all been keeping up with the adventures of Lance Douglas written by my good friend Flight182! But I think I can now announce that the extremely talented RileySavage7 will be joining the universe! Stay tuned for that!
> 
> As for this chapter, I think our girl is in for some big things don't you? But the question is are these lessons remedial? Or is there something special in the works? We all know what Sonya will assume of course. 
> 
> Final note: it's NEVER too late for you to join the PWF! If you have a character you think you'd love to take over or a new one you'd want to introduce just let us know! You're in!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12: Back to School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya prepares herself to enter the Ultimo Dragon's den.

Despite having been a student at the Forge for some time now, Sonya North always woke up a bit nervous to go into the training center. Usually, this was nothing more than a generalized feeling of anxiety in the pit of her stomach and sweaty palms. The problem had been more prevalent at the beginning of her time there and had actually improved a bit since Britney Shane had moved in with her. Now, Sonya got a pep talk each morning as they drove in together. In the past, such things had never helped her much, but somehow when they came from Britney they actually seemed to work.

 

Britney was just gifted in that way, Sonya had decided. The brunette was a natural leader who people tended to look to for guidance. This was all the more impressive because Britney, though almost never unfriendly, could never have been described as chatty; and yet people were still drawn to her. Sonya, who considered herself the opposite of charismatic, could only marvel at this.

 

Today, however, even Britney’s pumping up couldn’t do away with Sonya’s nerves. Sonya had known she’d heard the name Yoshihiro Asai before meeting the man at Collision that weekend, and yet she hadn’t been able to place the name. Then other events had intervened that night at Roy Wilkins and she’d forgotten about it until late Sunday. A single cursory Google search had revealed the stunning truth of why the name had seemed so familiar. Yoshihiro Asai was the Ultimo Dragon.

 

Sonya had been mesmerized while watching the Ultimo Dragon during his short run in the WWE. When he’d left she’d done her best to devour any and all tape she could find of his run in WCW. As she’d gotten older she’d been able to watch some of his work in Japan online, which had only further deepened her admiration for the man. It would not have been an overstatement to say that Sonya was in awe of him.

 

And today, she would be having a private training session with the same man. As a result, Sonya’s hero worship was being eclipsed by nervousness. This, of course, meant that she’d conjured all sorts of doomsday scenarios in her head by the time they pulled into the Forge’s parking lot. These ranged from Asai simply not speaking to her at all to him demanding that Sonya leave the Forge immediately. Of course the longer she was left to stew the worse these scenarios became.

 

Britney seemed to sense this from beside Sonya as she said: “I REALLY hope we can avoid the bitch brigade today, they’re going to be insufferable”. Sonya knew Britney was trying to distract her and she appreciated the effort. Still, if Britney thought this might improve her mood then she was wrong.

 

Britney was referring to the ‘other events’ that had intervened to make Sonya temporarily forget about Asai over the weekend. After Sonya had left the room where she had met Asai with Gail Kim she’d rejoined her friends and they’d all continued to explore the backstage area. During that time they’d met many PWF personnel and Sonya’s friends had all seemed to really enjoy themselves. For her part, Sonya had tried to appear as though she was doing so for her friend’s benefit.

 

It wasn’t as though she didn’t appreciate the opportunity to be there, in fact, she was profoundly grateful for it. But an environment where Sonya would have to meet and interact with a large number of strangers in rapid succession was very nearly her personal version of hell. Her anxiety had been made worse by the realization that her friends were actually doing the right thing. The chance to network and meet people afforded by their backstage access was almost priceless and Sonya SHOULD have been trying to emulate them.

 

But she’d been rendered nearly speechless whenever any of the main roster competitors had so much as walked by her. This might have been bad enough but her friend Noelle Foley, daughter of the legendary Mick Foley, was a woman who was never self-conscious, as far as Sonya could tell. Noelle fearlessly approached anyone she recognized for a chat. Several times these people had stopped to talk with the whole group...except for Sonya of course. This wasn’t a lack of goodwill on their part, she was just temporarily deprived of the power of speech each time this happened.

 

But this wasn’t why the so-called ‘bitch brigade’ would be extra insufferable today. ‘Bitch Brigade’ was the name that Sonya’s friends had given to the small knot of women that had formed around former Olympic Gold Medalist Mckayla Maroney, a fellow student at the Forge. Sonya remembered being surprised that Mckayla had seemingly chosen not to attend Collision, surprised but also very grateful. For whatever reason Maroney had taken an instant dislike to Sonya and rarely missed the chance to shatter what small self-confidence Sonya managed to build with a cutting remark.

 

Sonya and her friends, informally calling themselves ‘the Crew’ had settled into one of the areas set up backstage for PWF personnel to watch the show. They’d been joined there by most of the other Forge students in attendance, and a few main roster personnel. They’d all settled in and had just finished watching Dyrell Smith and Chase Williams defend the Alpha Division Men’s Tag Team Titles when they’d found out why Mckayla hadn’t been backstage.

 

Coming back from a commercial break the cameras had revealed the gymnast sitting in the front row directly to the left of the announce tables. Sitting at her side were her friends Araceli Ramos, Hannah Hunter, and Jennifer Storm. On her other side sat the hulking form of Shawne Merriman, the former All-Pro NFL linebacker. He and Maroney were the Forge’s most high profile students and it seemed the PWF wanted to show them off.

 

“Hey someone change the channel back, we ended up on animal planet somehow!” Sonya heard Lance Douglas call from somewhere nearby. This drew a smattering of laughter but also some murmurs of disapproval. Sonya actually smirked though she quickly covered the expression with a hand. Having to watch Maroney and Merriman smile and wave at the camera would have been bad enough but it seemed the producers of Collision had more in mind.

 

The camera had then panned to one side to reveal Lena Yada standing beside the pair. The announce team introduced her and then the interviewer began to speak saying “-that’s right guys I’m here with two of the PWF’s newest competitors Olympic Gold Medalist Mckayla Maroney and All-Pro Linebacker Shawne Merriman! Shawne let’s start with you, how does it feel to be here sitting front row at your FIRST PWF event?”

 

“Aww man, it’s crazy here man, and I just can’t wait to get in that ring myself and start bustin fools you know?” Merriman said with a broad grin.

 

“How does this compare to your time in the NFL?” Yada asked.

 

“I mean it’s really different cause like in football it’s a team sport man, but in the PWF it’s like it’s just you in there you know? And I like that, just being me and I'm telling everyone now to watch out I’m coming for that gold.” Merriman told her.

 

“Articulate son of a bitch isn’t he?” Britney muttered. Alexia England snorted at this, but before she could speak Lena Yada moved on to Mckayla.

 

“Mckayla Maroney, you’ve performed on some of the biggest stages in the world including winning a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics, what has your first impression of our sport been?” Yada asked. Sonya noted that whereas Merriman had really seemed to be enjoying himself Mckayla’s smile looked forced.

 

“It’s been fun so far, I mean it’s kinda tough having to sit and watch when you’re used to competing like I am but this is fun,” Mckayla said.

 

“How is the training going?”

 

“It’s going, it can be tough there too since me and my girls…” as Mckayla said this she gestured to her friends “...are clearly ready for more but I understand that we need to let everyone in the class keep up so they don't fall behind us.”

 

“That little bitch!” Britney growled.

 

“You think you’re ready to get in the ring then?” Yada asked in a surprised sounding voice.

 

“I know I am,” Mckayla said before turning to speak to Ramos who was sitting to her left. Sonya thought she saw a small frown pass across Yada’s face at this response. She guessed that maybe the interview had been planned to go differently. But Yada was a pro, and she quickly regained her smile and sent things back to the announce team. As they took over there was some audible muttering from the group around Sonya.

 

“My god was that a work you set up Gail?” a man asked Gail Kim.

 

“Nope, I thought it was you guys,” Kim answered.

 

“I wish, I couldn’t have written that better, she’s going to be a top heel very soon.” the man said, sounding both bemused and impressed.

 

“Oh my god just kill me,” Noelle muttered with an epic roll of her eyes.

 

They’d had a good time during the rest of the show but they’d also all been quietly dreading Monday. Specifically, they’d been dreading having to deal with the inflated egos of Mckayla and her band. Even Sonya, who never found fault with others if she could find it with herself, had to admit that Mckayla’s ego didn’t need any bolstering.

 

The one plus side of Sonya’s reflections was that they distracted her from her nervousness over her tutoring until they made it into the locker room. When they’d settled themselves on the benches Britney gave her a tiny nudge and jerked her head at Sonya’s bag. It was larger than the one she usually brought.

 

“What’s in there blue?” She asked.

 

“My...ring gear...Ms. Kim told me to bring it,” Sonya muttered. For some reason, she found the idea of Britney seeing her in her ring gear oddly daunting. This made little sense as she performed in front of crowds of strangers in it but there it was.

 

“Oh! I want to see!” Britney said quickly.

 

“See what?” came a voice from behind them. Turning they saw that Alexia and Noelle had arrived. The two roomed together in the Forge student apartments.

 

“Blue has her ring gear with her today!” Britney said excitedly.

 

“Now THIS I have to see,” Alexia said with a grin.

 

“Spoiler alert though guys...I bet it’s not red,” Noelle said with a laugh. Even Sonya had to chuckle at this, though she was blushing.

 

“Don’t worry...we won’t peak” Britney teased her as she held her hand over her eyes. Sonya was about to speak when she saw that both Noelle and Alexia were doing the same thing.

 

“Oh my god, you guys...” Sonya said with an embarrassed shake of her head as she started to change. Sonya had been wrestling in more or less the same gear ever since her first match. This was partly because she’d had to spend over $400 on the whole look, but mostly because she liked the ensemble.

 

The look began with long black tights with a blue starfield pattern on them. Black boots with a blue crescent moon on each came up to just below her knees. Next came a pair of black knee pads that she’d super-glued streamers too. Each pad had two blue and one white strip of cloth trailing from the outside. She then dawned her sports bra before adding a larger one made of pleather over it. The outer top had the same starfield pattern as her tights. Second to last came a pair of pleather forearm sleeves that came to a point on the back of her hand.

 

Sonya hesitated about adding the final touch to her in-ring look. Looking into her bag she withdrew a large wooden stamp and pad. She stared at it for a long moment. Was it necessary here? She was just going to receive some private tutoring so perhaps it wasn’t. Then again, Asai had specifically said ‘in-ring gear’ and to Sonya, the stamp was a part of that.

 

“Uh...Blue? We need to change today as well,” Alexia said. Startled out of her reverie, Sonya looked up and saw that her friends were all still standing with their hands over their eyes.

 

“I’m sorry! You can look,” Sonya said quickly as she held the stamp behind her back. Her friends took their hands away from their eyes and stared. Sonya wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting but mouths agape hadn’t been it.

 

“I was sure I’d be able to make fun of you at least a little but...Blue…” Noelle trailed off as she looked Sonya up and down.

 

“Damn...that’s sweet,” Britney said.

 

“I don’t want to show you mine now that I’ve seen yours.” Alexia put in.

 

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Sonya muttered, annoyed that she could feel herself blushing. Her friends responded by giving her exasperated looks.

 

“What’s that?” Britney asked as she pointed at the stamp that was half visible behind Sonya’s back.

 

“Nothing,” she said automatically but of course her friends wouldn’t be deflected that easily.

 

“Come on Sonya! Show us!” Noelle urged her. Reluctantly Sonya took the stamp out from behind her back and held it up.

 

“Umm...what are we looking at?” Alexia asked.

 

“It’s a stamp,” Sonya said, taking a moment before she realized how unhelpful this response was.

 

“OK…” Britney said sounding confused.

 

“I...I wear it around my eye,” Sonya said, for some reason saying it out loud made the idea feel stupid. And she loved her stamp.

 

“Well show us!” Noelle said.

 

“I don’t know if I should...I mean I’m just working out for one person I might feel weird…” Sonya began to say but Britney shook her head.

 

“Blue, they told you to wear your in-ring gear and that’s part of it!” she said encouragingly.

 

“Besides, we want to see it!” Alexia said eagerly.

 

"Anyway, if you don't then we'll just have to hold you down and then we'll put it on and we don't know where it goes really so it's probably better if you just do it," Noelle put in. This made Sonya smile, the first real one she’d worn since leaving Collision. Asking her friends to wait she hurried over to the sinks in the locker room, and carefully applied the stamp in the mirror. She was back in under two minutes and as she rounded the corner into their usual locker bay her friends were once again temporarily speechless.

 

Of course, it was Noelle who recovered first saying: “...you know...that’s just cool.”

 

The stamp was in the shape of the outline of a crescent moon. Sonya wore it so it encircled her left eye, and it was large enough that the two points of the moon each reached her nose. The ink was a type that Sonya bought at craft stores, it wouldn’t come off without serious scrubbing with soap so it would survive a wrestling match. And of course, it was a light royal blue.

 

“I was worried you’d think it was dumb,” Sonya admitted, a small smile lingering on her face.

 

Britney rolled her eyes and said: “the only thing we find dumb about you is your lack of self-confidence!”

 

“Yeah that is pretty effing stupid,” Noelle agreed.

 

“Daft,” Alexia added.

 

“Okay...okay…” Sonya held up her hands. Despite this, she felt a spreading glow inside her at these words. A glow that was enough to suppress her nerves, something that she would never have anticipated.

 

“Well...I guess it’s time for us to send our little girl off to school now,” Noelle said as she wiped an imaginary tear away.

 

“Awwww I know! I’m kvelling” Britney said, faking a croak in her voice.

 

“You guys are dumb,” Sonya muttered as she placed her bag in her locker. She was reaching for her hoody when Britney caught her arm.

 

“Nuh-uh...you go out there and show them all who you are!” She said encouragingly.

 

“Yeah but first? We’re taking an usie with the bad blue bitch!” Alexia said as she took out her phone.

 

This done, Sonya, feeling better though still a bit self-conscious made her way out of the locker room. The ‘better’ part began to lose the battle as she looked around, saw where Gail Kim was standing and walked quickly over to her. As she went more and more people on the main floor began to stare at her. Her attire did make her stand out, given that students at the forge didn’t dress for anything but comfort and function for the most part.

 

Kim gave Sonya’s gear an appraising once-over. Her eyes seemed to linger for a long time on the stamp around Sonya's eye before she gave a small nod that could have meant anything and said: “Mr. Asai is waiting for you in training room six North.”

 

Sonya swallowed but managed to nod before turning and heading in that direction. The Forge was designed around the enormous main floor with its five wrestling rings. Also on that level, separated by a hallway that ran in a square shape around the main floor, were six additional rings, each in its own training room. These rooms were generally used for smaller group settings that still called for access to a ring. And it had been in one of them that Sonya had fainted during promo class.

 

Sonya did her best to quickly bury this particular memory lest it overwhelm her again. Sonya was hurrying as best she could while not appearing to do so. The main floor wasn’t particularly busy at the moment but there were still enough people staring to make her very uncomfortable. Worse, the door that led most directly to training room six opened just as Sonya arrived at it. Entering were two people whom Sonya would have given a great deal NOT to run into that morning.

 

“Wow…” Mckayla Maroney said with a lip-curling sneer as she looked Sonya up and down. It was obvious that she was working on something much harsher to say as Sonya’s face burned tomato red.

 

“Awww, look at the mute’s cute wittle stweamers” Jennifer Storm, one of Mckayla’s cronies, said in a mock baby voice as she pointed at Sonya’s knee pads.

 

Sonya was struck dumb, unable to think of anything to say. She couldn’t even think of anything to do beyond stand there and stare down at her feet. The whole time she was raging internally at herself saying, “ _tell her to leave you alone! You’re all adults and this is NOT how adults act!”_. But of course she didn’t say anything of the sort, she’d never been able to stand up for herself with girls like Mckayla.

 

All Sonya wanted to do was sink down into the floor and vanish forever. She knew that in the same situation none of her friends would just take Mckayla’s abuse. Indeed Britney had once slapped the gymnast over it. But of course this was why Maroney picked on Sonya, she knew Sonya wouldn’t fight back.

 

“What are you even supposed to be? An elementary school science costume?” Mckayla spat acidly. Sonya still couldn’t think of anything to say but fortunately was saved from having to do so.

 

“NORTH! Don’t keep Mr. Asai waiting! Maroney! Get out of her way!” Gail Kim shouted at them from where she stood. Sonya turned to look back and saw that the instructor was standing with Britney and Alexia. Kim was looking impatient and had her arms folded. Sonya’s friends, by contrast, seemed to sense exactly what had been happening. Alexia looked concerned whereas Britney was glaring lasers over at Mckayla and Jennifer.

 

Worried that Britney might storm over and slap Maroney and Storm around Sonya caught her eye and made a ‘stay there’ gesture with her hand. First, Sonya didn’t want Britney to get into trouble. Second, and this thought surprised even her, she realized that at some point she’d have to stop letting other people fight for her. Even if she had no idea if that point would ever actually come. Had she been given more time Sonya would have taken it to marvel that this thought had popped into her head at the moment.

 

Maroney, deprived of her sport, gave Sonya a nasty look before stepping aside with an insolent nod. Sonya kept her head down, refusing to look at either her or Storm and hurried through. By the time she actually entered training room six, she was almost sprinting. When she finally got inside she closed the door behind her with as much force as you might use if you were fleeing from a dangerous animal. As she did she slumped back against the door with her eyes closed.

 

“Welcome Ms. North,” a voice said. Sonya’s eyes shot open as she remembered that she was supposed to be meeting someone here today. Yoshihiro Asai was standing nearby with a look of polite expectancy on his face.

 

“Oh...I’m sorry I just...I was…” Sonya started to speak but she honestly had no idea what she should say. Asai seemed either not to notice or just not to care about her fumbling. Instead, he merely approached until he was standing before her. Not for the first time that morning Sonya found herself being studied intently. This time however it felt more...intense.

 

Asai didn’t seem to be focusing on her ring gear, instead, he seemed to be looking deeper. Sonya felt as though his eyes saw past her physical self and were somehow taking in the entirety of her being. This went on for a surprisingly long time, Asai simply staring at her while Sonya fidgeted awkwardly. It was almost a full minute before he spoke again.

 

“Has your instructor chosen to tell you why you were selected for this private tutoring?” Asai asked her.

 

Sonya shook her head nervously before managing to croak: “no sir”. Something about this seemed to amuse Asai as he smiled softly in response.

 

“Very well, then I will leave that to her. For now, you will prepare yourself for a workout. You have fifteen minutes to do so. But I will warn you, Ms. North, this will be a very intense workout and you will not likely enjoy what is about to come,” Asai said this last part so matter of factly that Sonya thought she might have misheard him at first.

 

“What?” she asked dumbfoundedly.

 

“You heard me, Ms. North, now get to it...your time to stretch is running out,” Asai said as he folded his arms. As it turned out though he was only half correct in his closing statements. The workout was EXTREMELY intensive but...Sonya enjoyed herself.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of all the series I write I have to admit that Sonya's is the one closest to my heart. I've got SO many directions I want to take her in! But we're still in the 'tiny acorn' phase and thats a good thing!
> 
> I want to thank you for taking the time to read this passion project of mine (and the whole PWF team). If you like what you read and would like to be a part of the PWF universe we are still eager to bring in new writers so please let me know in the comments below or at attackplatypusbooks@gmail.com it is never to late to join!
> 
> While you're here I would be greatly obliged to you if you'd consider leaving a kudo, a comment, or even if you'd bookmark this story! ANd please take some time to share your thoughts down below, I always try to interact with you guys!
> 
> What did everyone think of today's story? It took me a while to dream up the right in-ring look for Sonya in this early stage of her PWF career, did you guys like it? McKayla is certainly not winning any new friends for herself but do you think she cares? What does Asai's training have in story for Sonya?
> 
> Thanks for Reading!


	13. Chapter 13: Schools Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya tells her friend's all about her lessons with the Ultimo Dragon!

“OK, that seems like an unnecessarily dramatic way to begin a training session,” Noelle Foley said as she sat in the salon chair next to Sonya.

“I guess...but it was still pretty fun” Sonya said, a small grin on her face.

“You girls are crazy you know that?” Sonya’s friend and stylist Alison said from where she stood behind Sonya.

“Be nice,” Sonya said in an embarrassed voice. She’d recommended Alison’s salon to Noelle because she’d been going there herself for years. Alison was one of Sonya’s few friends outside of wrestling. They’d met years ago when Sonya had been working for Steel Domain Wrestling around the Twin Cities. Alison, then a cosmetology student, had been working part-time as staff for one of the civic arenas that Sonya had often performed in.

One evening Sonya, who had been running late for a change, had come bursting through the main doors clutching her bag. She was supposed to be opening the show that night and that meant she had less than thirty minutes to get ready and warm up. Worse, she’d been so busy that week that she hadn’t been able to make her usual hair appointment. Her usually blue hair now had a definite case of brunette roots. She was hurrying toward the door that would take her toward the locker rooms when she’d noticed the ‘no admittance’ sign taped to the door. Her face must have reflected some of the shock and dismay she was feeling because someone had spoken up behind her. 

“Sorry, the wrestling guy said they had trouble at another show where someone went backstage to the women’s locker room. So no one is allowed back there,” said a voice. Turning Sonya saw a woman standing by the doors that would lead into the arena itself. Sonya had herself been backstage when that incident had occurred. On an intellectual level she really appreciated the policy, but right now it was making her life very difficult.

“But I AM one of the wrestlers,” Sonya protested, trying to sound as reasonable as she could despite her panic. 

“Yeah I think I’ve seen you before, your hair was different then though,” the other woman said. Sonya blushed furiously at this, she’d entertained vain half hopes that her roots might not be that visible. But, given her height, they were probably apparent to everyone over the age of twelve.

“I...ummm...I didn’t have time to get it touched up” Sonya muttered at her feet. Sonya wasn’t looking at the other woman but the change in her tone was enough to change that.

“It’s not that noticeable, honestly. I’m just a cosmetology student so I notice these things more than other people. My name is Alison by the way,” the other woman introduced herself. This wasn’t enough to make Sonya feel precisely better but…’less bad’ might have fit.

“Sonya...and…thanks,” Sonya said weakly, smiling uncertainly at Alison. She then looked helplessly at the locked door. No shows weren’t exactly unheard of in local wrestling but they were tremendously bad form. Sonya had never no-showed and would probably struggle to recover mentally if she was forced into it now.

Alison gave her a searching look before she smiled again saying “tell you what Sonya, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll let you in but only if you do two things for me”. Sonya’s head flashed to any number of bad movie cliches relating to this sort of bargain. But she didn’t really see that she had much of a choice.

“What do you want?” Sonya asked, dreading the answer silently. Fortunately, Alison didn’t leave her twisting in the wind for long. 

Alison grinned broadly as she held up one finger and said: “First, go out there and kick some butt tonight!”. Sonya couldn’t help but beam back, Alison just had one of those smiles.

“And the second?” she asked.

“I’m going to be graduating soon and I have a spot at my aunt's salon but I don’t have any clients yet, so you gotta come and let me take care of your hair for you! I’ll cut you a deal” Alison was still smiling but now it had an edge of uncertainty to it. The expression said that Alison was hopeful but also worried about the possibility of rejection. But now, and unusually, it was Sonya’s turn to make someone else feel more at ease.

“Deal” was all she said.

And in the years since Sonya had never let anyone else take care of her hair. More than that it had often been the case where Alison was Sonya’s only real friend. So when one of Sonya’s new friends Noelle Foley, daughter of the legendary Mick Foley and one of the most glamorous people Sonya had ever known, had asked for a recommendation for a salon in the Twin Cities, Sonya hadn't hesitated for even a moment.

Back in the present Alison, who was once again at work on Sonya’s hair, smiled and said: “I mean it’s really cool but yeah...you bitches are crazy.”

“She’s not wrong,” Alexia England said from where she sat nearby looking at her phone. She’d agreed to come with Noelle and Sonya today though she wasn’t having anything done herself.

“Don’t you all have another friend? Britney right? Is she coming? I want to meet her too!” Alison said as she worked. Both Alexia and Noelle actually snorted at this prompting Alison to give Sonya a quizzical look in the mirror.

“Brit is…not really the salon type…” Sonya explained in what was an extreme understatement about Britney Shane.

“Unless you do hair using a battle axe or something” Noelle quipped. This drew a laugh from Alexia and even a small smile from Sonya. Britney Shane was probably Sonya’s best friend, and also her roommate. The brunette woman was very pretty but simply not that bothered over her appearance. She’d been invited today but had declined, saying that she had paint to watch dry.

“She can’t be that bad” Alison said fairly.

“No, she’s probably worse” Alexia laughed.

“But get back to your story Blue! You didn’t finish telling us about your first week of private lessons with Asai!” Noelle asked eagerly. Sonya nodded and thought back to that morning in the training room with Asai on that Monday.

As she’d finished her warm-ups Asai had approached again and said: “Ms. Kim tells me that you are an accomplished flyer, were you trained in Mexico?”. Sonya’s eyes had widened at this as she’d swallowed and shaken her head. Asai had glared at her for a moment before asking “did you forget how to speak?”

“N-no I’m sorry” Sonya had blurted.

“Why are you sorry? Because you answered a question that I asked? I expect you to do that Ms. North” Asai had said quickly.

“I’m-” Sonya had choke back the instinctive apology.

“If not Mexico then where did you learn?” Asai asked.

“Uh...I…” Sonya tried to answer, she really did. But no sound would come out at that moment.

“Again you lose the power to speak...interesting” Asai said as he turned his back on her and pointed toward the ring. Without looking back he said, “we’ll start simple, you know what an Asai Moonsault is yes?”

“Yes” Sonya managed to croak, knowing she had to say something. The technique had actually be invented by Asai himself and it wasn’t what Sonya would have called ‘simple’. It involved a wrestler on the apron executing a springboard moonsault to the outside. Given the nature of the landing area, the potential for injury wasn’t inconsiderable if their opponent wasn’t right there to catch them.

“Show me,” Asai said shortly as he folded his arms. Sonya swallowed again as she climbed up onto the apron and shot a nervous glance over at her teacher. Asai just looked impatient and waved his had at her. 

Sonya had done an Asai moonsault before but not often. The reality was that most of the venues she’d competed in didn’t have enough space between the barriers and the ring to allow for it anywhere but directly in front of the entrance. Still, she knew she could and that was the tiny bit of comfort. Though not enough to fully overcome her nerves at having to do one in front of the man who had invented the technique.

So after taking a few more steadying breaths Sonya leaped up onto the second rope, waited for it to bend and then begin snapping back, and then launched herself backward from the ring. She landed on two feet with her arms spread wide, a tiny grin fighting to reach her face as she did. But if she’d thought Asai would be impressed then she was wrong. When she turned to face him he looked almost exasperated.

“Your limbs are blowing in the air like a windsock! Keep them in tight and do it again” he told her gruffly as he waved her back to the ring. Crestfallen, Sonya complied. Of course, now she was in no state of mind to perform at her best and Asai was even less satisfied with this next effort.

“I’m sorry-” Sonya said before she could stop herself.

“Don’t be sorry, just do it correctly. Now, again!” Asai said in a resigned tone of voice. The rest of the day’s training, and Sonya spent all of it with Asai, never actually got easier. They spent almost an hour doing Asai moonsaults. They only quit when Sonya was able to execute ten perfect examples in a row and THEN able to do the same with a variant she’d never done before, a praying Asai moonsault.

Sonya’s legs were burning by that point but Asai wasn’t done. He joined Sonya in the ring and put her through a VERY comprehensive list of aerial maneuvers. These began with what might be considered ‘simple’ moves like a second rope senton, diving body press, and even a double ax handle. Of course, simple or not, Asai would not let her stop doing these things until she got them perfect. 

This took them all the way to half-past three in the afternoon. Sonya had been wondering if Asai would ever ask her to do anything more complex and actually hoping he wouldn’t. She was coated in sweat and every muscle in her limbs was on fire, and this had been the case for a long time now. She didn’t realize it at the moment but she’d been so tired and so fixated on Asai’s relentless demands that she hadn’t even had time to be star-struck for most of the day.

“For the last task of the day, you will impress me,” Asai said. Sonya was getting used to his terse way of speaking now. She suspected it was partially due to temperament and partially just a linguistic limitations. 

“Impress you?” Sonya asked uncertainty.

“Yes, that is what I said. Now, get to it” Asai said impatiently.

“But...what do you mean...what do you want me to-” Sonya began to say but Asai cut her off.

“I’m here to teach you, Ms. North, not think for you. Impress me please” he said before folding his arms and waiting. 

Sonya was at a total loss. Impress him? What did that mean? She guessed he wanted to see some kind of complex aerial maneuver but which? And what maneuver did Sonya know that would actually impress him? He’d competed and held titles on three continents, she doubted she was going to be able to surprise him with any move she knew. She was considering showing him one of her two finishers, they wouldn’t be new but they were crowd pleasers, when she had a mad idea. 

Sonya looked to one of the corners and studied it, and then let her eyes run along the top rope. A thought occurred to her then, she was tempted to discard it at first, but then something odd happened. Sonya had an idea, second-guessed herself, and then managed to push through. Had she not been so focused at the time she might have noticed how unusual this was. 

Making her way tentatively to one corner she ascended to the top turnbuckle very carefully. Slipping and falling in front of  Yoshihiro Asai would be a mistake that Sonya would probably never recover from. When she reached the top she half stood with her arms out. Doing her best to ignore the critical look Asai was sending her way Sonya looked out at the top rope once more. What she was about to do was something she hadn’t practiced in many years.

When, as a little girl, Sonya had told her now deceased mother that she wanted to be a professional wrestler her mom had been aghast. Sonya had been told that this wasn’t something that girls did. In an attempt to dissuade Sonya she’d signed her youngest daughter up for gymnastics. An experience that Sonya had not enjoyed.

The other girls in Sonya’s class had almost instantly united in their dislike of the ‘weirdo’. The classes had been miserable times for Sonya but she’d never been able to muster up the courage to complain to her parents. Despite this Sonya had actually been quite good at gymnastics, even competing in several regional events. Her parents had been very proud, though Sonya had never lost her dislike for the sport.

Sonya had nursed dreams of quitting when she hit high school. But then her father had gotten sick, and Sonya had been unwilling to deprive her mother of something that could still bring her joy. It was only when her mother passed that Sonya had finally left gymnastics. Ever since she’d harbored an unfair resentment of the sport. And it hadn’t escaped her notice that the person who most actively tormented her now, McKayla Maroney, was a gymnast. 

Despite this Sonya had to acknowledge that her time as a gymnast HAD prepared her well for her style of wrestling. Her acrobatic style had undoubtedly come more easily to her thanks to her time in the sport. But there was another skill that Sonya had learned while in gymnastics that she’d long toyed with trying to incorporate into her ring work:  funambulism or tight rope walking. 

The only reason hadn’t already was that she hadn’t actually practiced the skill for a long time. If she was going to pick it up again she would have preferred to do it in private. But now, distracted as she was by the desire to impress one of her heroes, she didn’t even think to dwell on this anxiety. Instead, she just stared out at the rope. 

She must have done so for a long time because Asai cleared his throat loudly. Shooting a nervous look over at him Sonya swallowed once and took her first step. She very nearly fell then, bending violently at the waist before she got her arms out to stabilize herself. Fighting the desire to look over at Asai again, twisting her neck might overbalance her. Taking another deep breath Sonya took a second step.

She swayed again but less violently than before. Then she took another step, and another after that, and then another. With each step she swayed less noticeably. She kept her eyes down and focused entirely on the rope in front of her. It felt like it took her a long time to make it most of the way across, though it probably took less than a minute. When Sonya looked up and saw the other turnbuckle only a few feet away she couldn’t help but grin. She was able to almost run the final few steps before, out of sheer elation, she side flipped off the turnbuckle and landed with a thud on the canvas. 

Upon turning to face Asai with a beaming grin she was so shocked by what she saw that the expression melted off her face. Asai was looking at her not with his stern expression but with a matching smile. He actually gave Sonya a small nod. Then his expression hardened again as he pointed to the turnbuckle Sonya had just lept from and said: “do it again.”

Sonya had actually been late leaving the Forge that evening, and would probably have stayed even later if she hadn’t been carpooling. Asai made Sonya do several full circuits of the ring before he was satisfied. He then dismissed Sonya with a small smile and the cryptic message that he had ‘much to think about’. 

Sonya had been excused normal classes for the rest of the week. She spent her entire week being put through an increasingly difficult battery of tests. Initially, these had only involved ariel techniques but they slowly progressed into grappling and then even a few submissions. But no matter what Asai had her doing they always ended with him making Sonya circle the ring on the ropes. 

She was becoming quite proficient at this. She couldn’t quite run on top of the ropes but she could definitely move much faster by the end of the week. What was more she hadn’t fallen since Wednesday. Each time she completed her parlor trick she would look over to see Asai looking delighted by it. And seeing this approval on his face was enough to allow Sonya to feel something she very rarely felt, pride.

Sonya had actually reflected on this absence before. She’d often been told she was an extremely humble person but she didn’t see it that way. Humility was the conscious choice of someone who might otherwise be boastful. Sonya, who was never in danger of being boastful, just saw it as another outgrowth of low self-esteem. To her mind: Britney, Noelle, and Alexia were humble people, not her.

But somehow walking the ropes was changing that. If she’d taken the time to think about previously Sonya would have guessed that most people could have done this at need. This view wouldn’t have been based on anything empirical, just her usual unspoken assumption that if she could do something then it wasn’t special. Another outgrowth from her low self-image.

And yet here was Yoshihiro Asai, the Ultimo Dragon, seemingly impressed by her. A former WCW Cruiserweight and Television Champion was implicitly admitting that Sonya could do something in the ring that he couldn’t. It was both a humbling and edifying idea. And it awoke feelings and perspectives in Sonya that she wasn’t really used to.

At quitting time on Friday Asai had called Sonya over and announced “Monday will be our last “ _ Ao”.  _ This was the name he’d been calling Sonya since early in the week. She had no idea what it meant, not speaking Japanese, but he always said in a sternly affectionate sort of way so Sonya had decided she liked it. 

“I understand” was all she managed to say in reply, she wasn’t sure how else to respond.

“In the meantime...I want you to consider your future.” Asai said. Sonya’s heart plummeted at this, all her former anxieties coming rushing back in a single tidal wave. What did he mean by that?

Asai seemed to sense her panic however because he held up his hand and said “specifically I want you to think about your future in the ring for the PWF. And more specifically...your true thoughts on ‘Grasshopper girl’.”

Sonya spirits sunk still further at this. She hadn’t thought of the character that Scott Levy had written for her almost the entire week. She’d been so caught up in her training for Asai that she’d completely forgotten about it. But now, here it was, ready to torment her once more. But she didn’t want to let Asai see just how much it bothered her. She felt she may actually earned some small measure of the man’s respect and she didn’t want to risk losing it now.

Asai hadn’t seemingly wanted any kind of response as he’d exited the training room almost immediately after finishing his statement. Sonya had lingered in the ring for awhile longer, lost in thought. Almost automatically she’d climbed up the turnbuckle and taken a careful stroll along the top ropes. All the while she was thinking: what had Asai meant by his last question.

And this was where Sonya ended her story in the present. She’d been speaking for almost ten minutes straight, highly unusual for her, and doing so moreover to a rapt audience. Even Noelle hadn’t managed to come up with one snarky comment. So when she finished she looked around feeling slightly embarrassed at the odd expressions on her friend’s face.

“What?” she finally asked.

“I know that you’re struggling with the Grasshopper girl thing and all Blue...but…” Noelle said, looking almost awestruck “...we need to go string a rope between something after this because I HAVE to see you walk a tightrope.”

Sonya just looked at her blinking for a moment before a grin began to spread on her face. And expression she saw mirrored on Noelle’s face. A moment later, without realizing it they were all laughing. Laughing harder than Sonya had done in a very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, Sonya fans! Sometimes life intervenes and my writing needs to take a back seat for a while. I assure you however that Sonya remains near and dear to my heart and I will be sticking with her story!
> 
> Now the usual bit, I would be happy to welcome you or anyone else who is interested to the PWF universe. It's never too late and we are always looking for more writers and their characters! If you're interested please hit me up in the comments or at my email attackplatypusbooks@gmail.com
> 
> It's nice to see Sonya relaxing a bit isn't it? Our girl deserves it but I suppose we have to admit that the worst part about anxiety is that it's never really fully gone. What did you guys think of this chapter?


	14. Chapter 14: Blow Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A weekend afternoon training session at the forge takes a severe turn.

“Come on Blue! Get up off the mat!” Britney Shane shouted from somewhere far behind Sonya. A moment later she heard a rhythmic thudding sound that told her Britney was stamping her booted foot on the apron.

 

Ordinarily, Sonya really appreciated Britney’s encouragement. Sometimes it was all that got her through the day. But at this moment it wasn’t as effective, though through no fault of Britney’s. It was just hard for Sonya to draw on that encouragement when one of her legs was being pulled hard over her back. The reason was for this unnatural, and painful, state of affairs was squatting over her back, Ivy Buthelezi-Vida.

 

Sonya and her friends had come in this Saturday to get in some more training during the open mat time offered on weekends. After an extensive warm-up, they’d been approached by two of their classmates, Danny Elliot and Marie Diaz. The two women had asked if they might want to get some tag team practice in and they’d agreed. Or rather Britney and Noelle Foley had on their behalf. Alexia had tweaked her calf that Thursday and was taking it easy this weekend and Sonya herself was happy to have someone else do the talking.

 

Sonya, Britney, and Noelle had spent about twenty minutes rotating through a relatively low-intensity match against Elliot and Diaz. Then Britney had suggested that they find the other women their own third so they could do some six-woman tag practice. The idea had been good but it turned out that they were low on potential options. There were students who had been at the Forge longer than them but generally speaking the classes tended to keep to themselves.

 

From there class, there were three other women present. Hannah Hunter and Jennifer Storm weren’t really options give the hostility that currently existed between them and the Crew, the informal name that Sonya and her friends had given themselves. This left Ivy Buthelezi-Vida as the last option. 

 

Ivy was something of an enigma to her classmates. The pink haired and heavily tattooed woman rarely spoke with anyone except when their training made it absolutely necessary. Moreover, her whole demeanor didn’t encourage attempts to try and break through this reserve. Even Noelle, who was one of the most likable and sociable people Sonya had ever met, had made no headway with the South African. 

 

So it had come as a surprise to everyone when Ivy, after staring blankly at them for a while, had nodded and begun to head toward their ring. She’d also grunted in response, but it had sounded like an affirmative grunt. And so they’d begun their match just a few minutes beforehand. And here Sonya was in trouble.

 

Ivy had her trapped in a single leg Boston crab and had the hold synched in tight. She and Sonya had begun the match and in the brief time between the bell and now Sonya had learned two things. First, Ivy was a stiff worker. This meant that, unlike many wrestlers, she made no real effort to pull her strikes. They landed with full force. Second, when she got you in a hold she had no compunction about making it hurt. 

 

Screwing up her face against the pain in her lower back Sonya again reached out toward the nearest bottom rope. It was just inches out of her reach. A surge of fresh pain rushed through her forcing her hand back down to the mat for a moment. She gritted her teeth hard and again reached out for the rope. Ivy, sensing this, half stood and began dragging Sonya toward the center of the ring.

 

Knowing that if she let the other woman get her there then she’d be forced to tap Sonya seized the first opening she was given. Ivy had chosen to try and drag Sonya while facing in the opposite direction from her. This meant that when she half stood she had to raise Sonya off the mat. Feeling this, Sonya waited for a few moments before shoving off from the ground with all the might in her arms. As she did this she tucked her head and neck forward into an awkward somersault. It wasn’t graceful but it was enough to send Ivy stumbling backward over Sonya’s body and to free Sonya’s leg.

 

As soon as she felt Ivy’s grip vanish Sonya rolled onto her back, executed a kip up, and took off toward the far ropes ignoring the pain in her back. As she came back off the ropes she saw that Ivy was already up and waiting for her. She also saw that the other woman was lowering her head, probably trying to catch Sonya with a back body drop. 

 

Instead, Sonya simply leaped clean over Ivy. She landed with room for only two steps before she reached the ropes behind her opponent. Rather than bounce off of these Sonya hopped up onto the second rope, caught the top with her hands, and then launched herself backward. She twisted as she went had hit Ivy square in the back with a rebounding body press. They both landed with a thud.

 

“Kak!” Ivy spat in some language Sonya didn’t understand. She didn’t waste time pondering it either as she’d already rolled off of Ivy and was once again sprinting toward a new set of ropes. As before Ivy was already back on her feet by the time Sonya was coming back toward her. Knowing that she wouldn’t go for a back body drop twice Sonya played a hunch and as soon as they got close she went down into a baseball slide. She’d guessed right, Ivy went high with an attempted clothesline plainly intending to use her size and weight advantage to bear Sonya down.

 

Sonya kept on sliding until she went under the bottom rope, which she caught as she went by. Using her momentum to aide her Sonya shot back up to her feet on the apron. Seizing the top rope once more she leaped up onto it. She’d meant to transition the move into a diving seated senton but Ivy had her own surprise now. Instead of waiting for Sonya to leap she simply lashed out at the top rope with her foot. The impact was enough to set the rope wobbling and thus to throw off Sonya’s balance.

 

Knowing she had only moments before she would simply fall Sonya acted on instinct. She threw herself over Ivy once more, landing just on the other side of her. Before Ivy could counter Sonya had leaped again, tucked herself forward, and lashed out with both feet before completing the flip. Sonya landed on her back but her mule kick sent Ivy stumbling into the ropes.

 

Executing another kip up Sonya decided that she’d tempted fate enough. Rather than attack again she simply hurried over to her corner and tagged Noelle into the match. As her friend ducked between the ropes Sonya took a moment to catch her breath by leaning against the turnbuckle. Somehow every moment in the ring with Ivy felt like more of a struggle that was usual for her. The woman was not only a hard hitter but quick like a snake.

 

This was demonstrated amply by her exchanges with Noelle. Noelle had effectively been trained twice, once with the WWE and now as she went through the Forge. Moreover thanks to her father, Mick Foley, she’d grown up exposed to the business. She couldn’t fly like Sonya, didn’t have the technical skills of Britney, or the power of Alexia but in many ways, she was the perfect medium between them. 

 

But this availed her little against Ivy. Sonya had to be impressed as she watched the South African lock horns with Noelle. Stiff worker or not Ivy was a highly skilled wrestler. Her style was hard to pin down as it seemed to change depending on how she was attacked, but it was very effective. 

 

In the end, Noelle was forced to retreat to the corner and tag in Britney. And that was when the match really got interesting. Sonya noted that Ivy had thus far not tagged in either of her partners. And to judge from the disgruntled looks on Elliot and Diaz’s faces they had noticed this too. Britney, on the other hand, was coming to match fully rested. The mismatch was obvious.

 

Britney Shane was probably the best pure athlete in the Forge as a whole, and if not she was in the conversation. In addition, she had a background in combat sports and a natural aptitude for wrestling that made her a fearsome opponent. Sonya had sparred with her enough to know this first hand. And yet Ivy refused to back down.

 

Britney exploded out of the corner catching Ivy with a lariat that sent the shorter woman down to the mat with a loud thud. As Ivy regained her feet she caught another lariat with the same results. When Ivy shot back to her feet this third time Britney changed this up by leaping up onto the woman’s shoulders and executing a hurricanrana that even Sonya would be proud of. Something that someone her size should have struggled to do. And yet Ivy kept shooting right back up and even counter-attacking. Britney was clearly getting the best of the exchange but Ivy seemed to determine to make her pay for it.

 

“Ivy! Tag us in!” Diaz shouted from her corner. But Ivy ignored her as she tried to shoot Britney’s leg out from under her. Britney avoided the maneuver and trapped Ivy in a side headlock. Even from where she stood on the apron Sonya could see Ivy’s face quickly turning red, Britney was obviously applying a great deal of pressure.

 

“Get...off...me…” Ivy grunted as she finally managed to push Britney to the ropes and send the taller woman running with an Irish whip. But instead of waiting for Britney to return to she ran to meet her with a very hard shoulder block. Everyone on the apron winced at the sound of the impact. But Britney just growled as she kicked Ivy away and leaped to her feet.

 

Britney and Ivy continued like this for several minutes. As time passed their match ceased to look like training and more like an actual fight. Both women’s punches and kicks were obviously very stiff and neither was bothering to try any kind of maneuver that would require the other’s cooperation. As she watched Sonya was becoming more and more uncomfortable by the intensity of the two women in the ring.

 

“Brit knows that this is supposed to be a training match right?” Noelle asked Sonya as she leaned over to whisper to her. Sonya shrugged, it was honestly hard to tell at the moment. She was legitimately worried that one of the two combatants would get hurt if they didn’t stop soon. But she was too nervous to try and intervene.

 

Things came to a head less than a minute later as Britney threw a right cross that couldn’t even be described as just ‘stiff’, it was an attack. Ivy managed to duck the punch but responded by headbutting Britney on the mouth. 

 

“What the hell?” Britney roared as she stepped forward and shoved Ivy hard.

 

“You tell me!” Ivy shot back, refusing to back down and standing on her tiptoes to bring her face right in front of Britney’s. Oddly she didn’t seem to be that perturbed despite her tone. Even so, everyone around the ring could tell that if they weren’t separated the two would be going at it for real in a second. As if by unspoken signal Sonya, Noelle, Diaz, and Elliot all rushed into the ring and tried to separate Britney and Ivy. 

 

Elliot and Diaz were in a better position to do this as they were both about the same size as Ivy, and as it turned out they didn’t have much to do as Ivy simply stepped back and stood with her arms folded and a smirk on her face. Sonya only had a moment to see Ivy but to her, it seemed as though Ivy was privately amused. She had no time to ponder this however as she had to help Noelle.

 

Unfortunately for Noelle, Sonya was significantly smaller and lighter than Britney. This left most of the burden for holding Britney back on her friend. Noelle was certainly in great shape and strong enough to hold her own in the ring but Britney was a physical freak. An angry Britney was even worse. In trying to help restrain her Sonya felt that this was how it might feel to have to try and contain a wolf. It was all Noelle could do to lock her arms around Britney’s waist and dig her heels into the mat.

 

While this happening Britney was roaring and cursing at Ivy while the other woman simply glowered back. Sonya felt her tenuous grasp on Britney’s right arm slipping and knew that in a moment her friend might break free. And if that happened it seemed likely that Britney might do something stupid, something that might even get her kicked out of the forge. That was until a strong hand moved Sonya aside. When she turned to see who it was she saw Alexia lock her powerful arms around Britney’s waist and lift her bodily up off the canvas.

 

“Britney calm down!” Alexia shouted as Britney’s arms and legs scrabbled uselessly in the air.

 

“Put me down!” Britney snarled but Alexia began walking backward as Noelle got between Britney and Ivy.

 

“Don’t touch me,” Ivy said contemptuously as Elliot and Diaz began to make as though to restrain her. She’d taken a few steps forward but she turned to put a hand on the top rope. She sent a quick look in Britney’s direction, as though evaluating if she had a clear approach. But then she saw Noelle standing between her and her Britney, clearly ready for a fight. Sonya, eyes wide, was shocked to find her body moving of its own accord. A moment later she found herself standing right next to Noelle. After a few moments, Ivy gave them both a contemptuous smirk.

 

“It’s been fun,” Ivy said sarcastically as she dropped down to the mat and rolled out of the ring. No one tried to stop her as she slinked away. 

 

“Brit….” Alexia said sharply “...if I put you down you’re not going to make me grab you again are you?”

 

“Just put me down!” Britney snapped.

 

“No…” Alexia said calmly “...not until YOU calm down.”

 

“I am calm!” Britney snapped, though her tone made it clear that she wasn’t.

 

“Noelle? Is Ivy gone?” Alexia asked patiently. Even with the seriousness of the situation, Sonya was beyond impressed by how easily Alexia could hold Britney up in the air.

 

“We’re good,” Noelle said. At this Alexia dropped Britney who landed on the mat with a clunking sound. When she did Sonya, Noelle, and Alexia all tensed, ready to grab her again. To their surprise and relief, Britney just put her hands on her hips and looked down for a long few moments. 

 

Pursing her lips she looked up and walked over to where Diaz and Elliot were standing nervously and said “I am very sorry, I...I was acting like an idiot. I’m glad you asked us to train and I hope you won’t hold this against my friends.”

 

Britney sounded very much like a child who had been hauled before a principal's desk. But Sonya knew that she was being genuine. Britney did have a bit of a temper, usually kept rigidly in check, but when it did get the better of her she always felt bad afterword. For their parts, Elliot and Diaz said it was alright and then left the ring.

 

When they had gone Noelle rounded on Britney and asked: “what the hell was that Brit?”

 

“Noelle!” Sonya said nervously, dreading an argument between the two. Britney and Noelle were very close but, perhaps because of this, when they argued it could become molten.

 

“No Sonya, she’s right,” Britney said sounding very tired as she held up a hand to wave Sonya off. Then she stopped speaking and stared up at the ceiling, hands still on her hips. 

 

“So...you and Ivy aren’t going to be friends,” Alexia said after the silence had stretched for a while.

 

“I know...but...I need to go apologize to her.” Britney said.

 

“We’ll come with,” Noelle said automatically. Sonya noted that this was one of the few times she’d heard Noelle speak completely seriously without any kind of sarcasm or humor in her voice.

 

“No guys, I’ll be fine. I promise I’ll keep my cool but I need to apologize to Ivy like an adult,” Britney said. Without waiting for a response she rolled out of the ring and set off. This left Sonya, Alexia, and Noelle starting after her looking concerned.

 

“Either she’s going to do that or they’ll end up killing each other,” Alexia said. Sonya noticed that the British girl was sounding very forlorn.

 

Noelle suddenly was wearing an expression that suggested she’d reached a hard decision. Turning to Sonya she said “give her a few minutes then you should go see her Sonya. Something has to be bothering her if she got that heated.”

 

“Why me?” Sonya asked in a startled voice.

 

“You’re Brit’s best friend,” Noelle said plainly.

 

“Brit loves all of us I don’t-” Sonya started to say but then she saw that both Alexia and Noelle were shaking their heads.

 

“I know she loves us but you are her best friend Sonya,” Alexia said. Sonya let this sink in for a long moment. 

 

It was true that she thought of Britney as being her best friend, but she’d always assumed that Britney thought of her as just like Noelle and Alexia. The idea that Britney might see her as somehow special was a bit odd to her as Sonya never thought of herself as special. But there was no arguing with the calm and absolute certainty that Noelle and Alexia were projecting.

 

“OK…” Sonya said finally as she looked in the direction Britney had gone “...I’ll go talk to her.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, how will I forgive myself for neglecting our Blue Moon for so long! I promise to do better my friends! 
> 
> If anyone is looking for another good read I'd like to recommend: "Perseverance", a story being written by yours truly and the talented KrashlynPride! The story follows the WWE's four Horsewomen in an AU where Sasha and Becky are MMA fighters, Charlotte is a promoter, and Bayley is a sports journalist. Both Krashlyn and I would be very grateful if you took some time to give it a read! Find the story here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16333634/chapters/38212784
> 
> Now back to Sonya! What did you guys think of this one? I'm always very leery about writing action heavy chapters for fear that they may be hard to follow but I hope you liked it! How do you guys think the talk between Britney and Sonya will go? 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15: Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya goes to check on Britney and find out what made her blow up.

Sonya found Britney removing her kick pads in the locker room. Her friend’s face was as dark as Sonya had ever seen it. Britney Shane was usually a perfectly amicable, if slightly reserved, woman. Right now she looked very much like she was dealing with a lot of anger that had nowhere to go. And yet Sonya was planning to wade right into that storm.

 

“Uh...Brit? You okay?” she asked hesitantly as she approached. She was moving as though she were approaching a dog that was growling at her, prepared to turn and run at a moment’s notice. 

 

“I’m fine,” Britney said in what was probably the least convincing statement she’d ever made. She didn’t look fine at all. Despite this Sonya would ordinarily have seized on this escape hatch as a way to extricate herself from this uncomfortable situation. But today something impelled her forward despite a voice in her mind screaming for her to retreat. 

 

“I think Noelle might say something like ‘yeah, you really look fine’ here,” Sonya offered with an uncertain smile as she sat down next to Britney on the bench. For a moment she recoiled thinking she’d made a terrible mistake as Britney’s head turned quickly to stare hard at her. Then, to her great surprise and relief, her best friend actually laughed.

 

“I suppose she might, but you would never right Blue?” she asked with a weak grin before turning back to her boots. Sonya noticed that as she did her smile melted away quickly.

 

“Probably not” Sonya allowed as she studied her friend. Britney really was quite the physical specimen. In addition to her almost perfectly proportioned athletic frame she had features that seemed to have sculpted by a master. Neither too harsh nor too delicate they made her face seem both strong and beautiful. Not for the first time, Sonya felt the tiniest twinge of jealousy that she quickly suppressed.

 

“So are Noelle and Alexia waiting for the all clear from you outside?” Britney asked wryly.

 

“What do you mean?” Sonya asked, genuinely puzzled.

 

“I mean, that I suppose they sent you in here and are waiting to find out if I’m still pissed or not before they join us?” Britney told her with a sideways glance.

 

“Ummm...probably, the waiting part I mean,” Sonya said. Britney smiled softly again at this.

 

“You probably weren’t supposed to tell me that though Blue,” Britney said as she finally succeeded in removing her boots. She wiggled her toes for a few seconds before she began to peel out of the rest of her gear.

 

Sonya wasn’t sure how to respond to this so she asked: “so...did you find Ivy?”

 

Britney’s face darkened again as she said: “yeah, and I apologized to her.”

 

“That’s good!” Sonya said, wanting to sound encouraging. But Britney just shook her head.

 

“She was...not receptive. In fact, she was very open about how little she cared about my apology,” Britney said darkly.

 

“Oh…” Sonya said, deflating “...but at least you apologized to her even if she didn’t want to hear it.”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Britney murmured.

 

Ordinarily, Sonya didn’t put much stock in the idea of ‘women’s intuition’. Or at least not into her own. Reading people was something she often struggled mightily to do. She was constantly in awe of people like Noelle who seemed to just inherently know what was going on in other people’s heads. But it would have taken a denser sort of statue not to realize that Britney had something on her mind.

 

“What’s wrong Brit?” was what Sonya eventually asked in a quiet voice. Britney stopped fiddling with her gear at this and sat silently for a long time before answering.

 

“I...failed today Sonya and...that’s never fun,” she finally said. Sonya noted first that she’d called her by her name and not ‘Blue’. Always a sign of seriousness in her friend group. But she also noted the deep current of resignation in her friend's voice.

 

“What do you mean? The end wasn’t good but I thought you looked great in the ring…” Sonya started to say but Britney just shook her head.

 

“It’s not that...I lost my temper and that shouldn’t happen. Least of all here and definitely not because someone else was going as hard in training as I do,” Britney explained.

 

“You were pretty intense,” Sonya said lamely. In truth, Britney had gone overboard and so had Ivy. But Sonya guessed that Britney would be far more aware of this than she herself was so she didn’t say anything.

 

“I was being an idiot is more like it. I don’t know why but when Ivy started working stiff it just lit a fire inside of me. I knew I should have been working to calm down but it just kept growing as we went.” Britney explained sounding more dejected that Sonya had ever heard her.

 

“I’m sorry Brit but...if things hadn’t ended as they did I don’t see why that has to be bad,” Sonya confessed.

 

“Because!...” Britney barked, causing Sonya to jump before she made a visible effort to calm herself and went on “...because I lost my temper Sonya and that...it...I just can’t happen alright?”

 

“Why not? Brit everyone gets angry,” Sonya said, trying to sound reasonable.

 

“I have NEVER seen you angry Sonya,” Britney pointed out.

 

“I...get angry...sometimes…” Sonya said, wincing at how lame it sounded even to her.

 

Britney didn’t press her on the issue however as she said: “Sonya, you know I work hard to control my temper.”

 

“Yeah,” Sonya said softly.

 

“I...I don’t want to ever give the impression that my parents were bad to me, they were great...amazing even. But...my dad had a temper. It was always stress of course but it kind of made parts of my childhood miserable. And I always promised that I would NEVER be like that so I walk around with both hands pressed down on my temper trying to control it. And...well I just learned how easy it is for me to lose that control,” Britney said. She sounded so downcast that Sonya felt a sudden strong impulse to hug her, but something held her back.

 

“Brit...no one thinks you have a bad temper. In fact, I think most people here would be surprised if you told them you have one,” Sonya tried to reassure her friend. Britney barked a sardonic laugh at this.

 

“Not know I bet…” she said sadly.

 

Sonya was at a complete loss as her mind tried to adjust to her new circumstances. She was used to thinking of Britney as a rock on which she and their other friends could lean on. Always there, always strong, and always unflappable. If there was ever a crisis, Britney Shane was the woman you’d want at your back. Or at least that was the role that Sonya had cast her into in her own mind.

 

But now, to see this new version of Britney. A Britney that wasn’t just sad but almost broken with dejection. A woman who seemed as though she’d had her whole world rocked to the foundations. A vulnerable Britney. It was hard for Sonya to accept, never mind reconcile with her preconceived ideas of her friend.

 

The truth was that Sonya was simply more used to being the one receiving comfort rather than doing the comforting. And this had been true throughout her whole life. Her anxieties were such that she was often in the position that Britney was in now. Often enough that she’d lost friends who simply got tired of having to constantly prop her up emotionally. She’d hated the knowledge that she’d driven them away, and this brought some insight to her now.

 

What if Britney was feeling the same way now. Sonya had often felt that she should try to be stronger for other people. But how much worse would this all feel if you usually WERE strong for other people. What if Britney was worried that Sonya herself might walk away? The idea that someone else, someone as strong as her friend, might feel like this was a hard one for Sonya to accept at first.

 

That was until she had an answering revelation. One that came entirely from with herself. Good hearted people had been trying to help Sonya feel better all her life. Usually, they weren’t particularly successful at it either. But what if this could help her now? She decided that she would tell Britney what she wished other people had told her.

 

“Brit...you didn’t fail. And this doesn’t mean you have some kind of dangerous temper. You...fell down. We all fall down! I mean...you know that...that I do a lot…in my own head I mean. But I...WE...love you and we know that you’ll get back up. Because you always do, because you’re the strong one we all count on,” Sonya said, surprising herself with how passionately she felt what she was saying. 

 

Sonya had not really had any clear idea of how Britney might react to this speech. She'd been worried she might just walk away or even shout at her. Then again it was possible Britney might not react at all or be dismissive. One thing was absolutely certain: she hadn’t been prepared for Britney to snort with laughter. And yet that was exactly what her best friend did when she finished speaking.

 

Sonya was so startled by this response that she actually recoiled where she sat. Britney saw this and held up a hand saying quickly “no, Sonya...I...what you said was very sweet and I really love you for saying it but…” 

 

Sonya furrowed her brow and waited for a few moments but Britney seemed to be struggling to find the right words. Eventually, she asked, “but what?”

 

Britney laughed softly again as she shook her head and said: “its just...it’s so you, Blue, to say what you just said.”

 

“W-What do you mean?” Sonya asked sounding confused but feeling apprehensive.

 

“Blue...I’m not the one that Alexia and Noelle look to for strength. I know that I don’t see myself that way. Not in our group anyway,” Britney said with a soft smile on her lips.

 

“I don’t…” Sonya started to say but cut off when Britney rolled her eyes in amused exasperation.

 

“You really have no idea who I’m talking about do you Blue?” she asked.

 

“I mean, I guess Noelle-” Sonya started to say but Britney shook her head vigorously.

 

“YOU, DUMMY!” Britney said she gave Sonya’s shoulder a gentle push. Had she announced that she was actually an alien Sonya would have been less stunned. Her immediate reaction was to do what Britney had just done and laugh. The notion that she was somehow the rock of the group was ridiculous to her. In fact, she suspected that  Britney might just be trying to deflect from talking about her own feelings.

 

“Brit, don’t make fun of me! I’m trying to help.” Sonya said with more force than she usually spoke with. 

 

“Being dead serious girl, and you can ask Noelle or Alexia and they’d tell you the same thing,” Britney said as she looked directly into Sonya’s eyes.

 

“I don’t-” Sonya tired to say but Britney reached over and put her hands on Sonya’s shoulders.

 

“Sonya, we all know how much you struggle sometimes. And how hard you work to try and keep it secret,” she said softly. Sonya’s eyes immediately fell at this. Not that the first part of what Britney had said was untrue but Sonya had thought she had been doing a better job hiding it.

 

“I’m sorry,” Sonya murmured.

 

“Of course you’d apologize for that even though you have nothing to be sorry about,” Britney snorted.

 

“I’m-” but Sonya caught herself this time.

 

“Sonya, we see what you go through every day. And you know we are always here if you need us. But did it ever occur to you how much it inspires us to see you here every day? Knowing the struggle it is for you and seeing that you STILL show up? You’re not just my friend Sonya...you’re kind of my hero,” Britney told her with only the barest hitch in her voice.

 

For her part, Sonya wasn’t even sure she’d be able to keep her own voice steady if she had tried to speak. What Britney had said had touched her deeply. And even though this emotion it occurred to her that she’d come here to try and make Britney feel better. But somehow it had been Britney who had left Sonya feeling happier and safer than she had in a very long time.

 

“Come here you little you dork,” Britney said as she wrapped Sonya in a bear hug. It wasn’t the most comfortable of positions and both she and Britney were very sweaty, and yet Sonya doubted she’d ever had a better hug. 

 

Of course, Sonya had known people she’d called her friends before, not many, but some. And she’d even felt very close to a few. But since she’d lost her parents she’d felt as though an invisible barrier had fallen between her and the rest of the world. Whether it was caused by her anxiety or merely made worse but it she didn’t know. But it had been many years since she’d felt like there was someone, anyone, on her side of the glass. 

 

She now knew for a certainty that Britney Shane was there with her. And as she reflected she knew that Alexia England and Noelle Foley were there too. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve this, but she knew she liked it much better than what had come before. And given what Britney had told her she might even be able to start acting as though this feeling were here to stay.

 

She furrowed her brow as she heard Britney say “you two can come out now, the lurking is creepy”. Sonya had no idea who she was talking to or what about but a moment later she got her answer when they were both hit by two new bodies. More arms folded around them and Sonya found herself trapped in the middle of a group hug.

 

“We smell so bad,” Noelle was laughing.

 

“Aww shut it you, don’t ruin this” Alexia said. Sonya guessed that it was she that was providing most of the almost bone-crushing pressure.

 

“We heard the last bit of your conversation...you two are gonna mess around and end up making me cry!” Noelle mock scolded, Britney and Sonya.

 

“Don’t worry I’m sure that makeup you’re wearing is waterproof,” Britney muttered to her.

 

“Why do you wear makeup when we’re training?” Alexia asked. Sonya noted that her friend's British accent seemed to get more pronounced in times of strong emotion.

 

“First, if we get to the main roster we’ll have to wrestle in it anyway. And second, because I look damned good,” Noelle shot back.

 

“Umm...guys...can we…?” Sonya put in meekly. She was buried under her friends and lost in their intertwining arms. And while she was overwhelmed to have these three amazing women in her life, they had all been working out pretty intensely. The smell wasn’t pleasant when you were stuck in the very middle. 

 

“Sorry Blue!” Alexia said as she and the others disentangled themselves. 

 

“Aww weren’t you enjoying our gross sweaty hug?” Noelle teased her.

 

“Not really…” Sonya murmured.

 

“Well get cleaned up you two, Alexia and I decided we’re all going out tonight!” Noelle declared brightly.

 

“You did huh?” Britney asked sardonically.

 

“Yes I did, and you can’t say no because I told everyone you’d be out!” Noelle said as though it settled the matter.

 

“Guys I don’t think-” Sonya interjected, feeling a sudden familiar surge of panic in her stomach. This always happened when she learned she was going to have to go somewhere social.

 

“Oh relax Blue, we’ll all be there! Besides what else were you going to do?” Alexia said. In truth, Sonya had been looking forward to curling up on her couch with her Nintendo Switch. But somehow she felt like it would be smarter not to share this.

 

“Pleaseeeeeee...” Noelle begged “...I haven’t gone out at night ONCE since I got here. I really need this and I don’t know anyone or any place in St. Paul!”. Naturally, all eyes turned to Sonya, the native, at this. She looked to Britney helplessly but when she saw that Britney seemed interested in the idea she gave up.

 

“We’ll probably have to go to Minneapolis,” she muttered resignedly.

 

“Awesome! We’re coming to your place beforehand! See you bitches at eight!” Noelle said before she began changing. 

 

Britney gave Sonya’s arm a punch and said: “don’t worry Blue, you can bring your switch!”

  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've legitimately felt guilty about neglecting Sonya for so long but we're BACK! 
> 
> Don't worry friends there is SO MUCH more in front of our girl and I can't wait to get back into the swing of things!
> 
> What did you guys think of this one? It's so characteristic of Sonya that she wouldn't be aware of how other's saw her, isn't it? Do you think this learning this will be enough to boost her confidence? Will Britney learn to give herself a break? And how do you think the big night out will go?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16: Out in the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crew regroups after the incidents of the weekend at the Forge and decide that they need some R&R

Sonya North was feeling as disgruntled as Britney Shane looked as they were both marched down the stairs of their apartment complex.

 

“What Just happened?” Britney asked her incredulously.

 

Before Sonya could do more than shrug a voice spoke up from behind her saying “you’re welcome”. The speaker was one of Sonya’s closest friends, Noelle Foley, the tall blonde was walking at the back of the group.

 

“Wasn’t saying thank you,” Britney muttered.

 

“And you’ll never need to!” Noelle said brightly.

 

The reason Britney and Sonya were both looking so mutinous was due to their outfits. Or more specifically how they’d come by them. Not that anyone could have found anything objectionable about them on fashion grounds. In fact, Sonya had to concede she was looking more stylish than she had in a very long time. No, the issue was that they had, seemingly, been hit by a fashion tornado.

 

After their collective moment in the locker room at the Forge, they’d all agreed that they would go out that evening. Or at least the other three had and Sonya had been too quiet to object. For reasons that would be obvious to anyone who knew her, she didn’t go out much. She much preferred to stay at home most evenings. And this hadn’t changed when Britney Shane had moved in with her.

 

Most of the time when they got home from training they would take their turns showering and then pretty much do their own things quietly. For Britney, this was one of several hobbies that would probably be surprising to anyone who knew her only casually. For Sonya, it was almost invariably either curling up on the couch with her book, Nintendo switch, or her sketch pad. And Sonya, for one, didn’t want any more out of her evenings.

 

But she’d never been very good at resisting peer pressure, not as a kid and not now. So she’d allowed herself to be swept along with the plan this evening. The real driving force behind it was, of course, Noelle. She was the most sociable of the four and the one who would most enjoy an evening out. It would be lying to say that the other three women weren’t doing this at least partially to humor their friend.

 

What they hadn’t bargained for was how seriously Noelle would take it. Britney and Sonya had both dressed in what they’d thought were appropriate outfits. Britney had gone with a pair of grey skinny jeans, blue New Balance sneakers, an Anchorage Seawolves t-shirt, and a dark zip up hoody. Sonya had thought this look was quintessentially Britney, sporty and practical. 

 

For her part, and after much painful hemming and hawing, Sonya had gone with more less what she always wore. A pair of blue jeans, her sneakers, a graphic tee, and her zip blue hoody. When she’d asked Britney how she looked her friend had been encouraging. And so they’d been waited for their friends to arrive assuming they would all get into a Lyft shortly afterword. They’d subsequently learned that they’d been very mistaken.

 

Shortly after being buzzed in Noelle and Alexia had walked into their apartment. They’d been looking around the interior when Sonya and Britney had joined them. Noelle’s eyes were riveted on a glass vase on the kitchen table. It was full to the brim with lemons.

 

“Sonya I didn’t know you liked lemons that much,” Noelle said, still looking at the vase.

 

“It’s not mine, it’s Brit’s,” Sonya had said. Noelle and Alexia had exchanged a glance at this that suggested Sonya had just declared it was a gift from the Pharaoh of Egypt.

 

“What?” Alexia had asked, sounding thunderstruck.

 

“It’s Britney’s?” Sonya had answered confusedly.

 

“Uh....” Noelle had said staring at the vase as though it were some kind of marvelous apparition she’d never seen before.

 

“The room needed a splash of color,” Britney had explained simply. Noelle and Alexia had once again exchanged open-mouthed looks of shock at this.

 

“What….who...who even are you?” Noelle had asked incredulously as she’d turn to fully face her friends for the first time. She’d frozen when she’d gotten a good look.

 

“What?” Sonya had asked, worried that something was wrong.

 

“No,” was all Noelle said in response.

 

“What?” Britney asked.

 

“No, no, no, no, both of you turn around and change. Right now.” Noelle had insisted.

 

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Britney had asked defensively.

 

“Are you a soccer mom? Are we going to a PTA meeting? No! So go change into something cute!” Noelle had snapped.

 

“You don’t have to dress me, Noelle, I can pick out my-” Britney started to object before Noelle leaned forward and spoke in a dangerous voice.

 

“Come with me...and we’re picking something else,” she said. There was simply no resisting her from that point. Sonya was trying to edge out from between the two when Noelle rounded on her. “You’re not going anywhere Blue!” she said 

 

“But-” Sonya had started to say but Noelle had made a silencing gesture.

 

“Lex?” Noelle had said to Alexia, who’d been standing silently with a smirk on her face. In response, Alexia handed Noelle a small wrapped bundle which Noelle threw at Sonya.

 

“What is-?” Sonya started to ask but Noelle answered before she could finish.

 

“You’re welcome Blue! I thought we might have this problem so I got you something a few days ago,” she said.

 

“What are you the muscle?” Britney asked Alexia incredulously. 

 

“You don’t have to live with her, it’s just easier this way.” the British woman said with a shrug. Noelle actually whistled for attention at this, making them all wince.

 

“Sonya, go change! Britney, with me! Alexia, don’t let anyone escape,” she said as she hustled Britney and Sonya down the hallway toward their bedrooms. And now here they were, two defeated women, marching out their waiting car.

 

Britney was still in the same jeans but now with Chuck Taylors, a plain white t-shirt, and a windbreaker. Her hair had been pulled out of its usual ponytail and stuffed under a beanie. Sonya had reluctantly changed into a white scoop back top, boyfriend jeans, and a new pair of Adidas sneakers. She had however been allowed to wear her black pea jacket...it was, after all, winter in Minnesota.

 

As she’d noted earlier, she and her friends were all probably looking better than they had in a while. Training almost non-stop at the Forge simply didn’t leave a lot of chances to dress up. However, this had the side effect of aggravating many of Sonya’s old insecurities. Looking around at her friends she couldn’t help but feel terribly plain while standing among them. 

 

This feeling was only reinforced when they reached their waiting car. Noelle had made sure to order a Lyft XL which meant that a large SUV was parked in front of the apartment building doors. It’s driver, a college-aged man, had been dumbstruck when three tall and gorgeous women had approached his car. So dumbstruck that he hadn’t even noticed Sonya.

 

“How are you three ladies this evening?” he’d asked in as charming a voice as he could muster.

 

“There’s actually four of us,” Noelle had said with a tight-lipped smile.

 

“Four-?...” the driver had asked before his eyes had finally found Sonya “...oh I’m so sorry miss.”

 

“It’s okay,” Sonya had muttered as her cheeks had burned. This wasn’t uncommon when the four of them met new people together. Sonya had simply ended up being close friends with three women who were simply much taller than she was. Sonya barely crested 5’1” whereas Britney was 5’9”, Noelle 6’0”, and Alexia an Amazonian 6'1". 

 

So now here she was sitting between Alexia and Noelle feeling very much like a little girl. She took no part in the desultory conversation during the ride, though she wasn’t the only one. Britney seemed to be miffed at the driver for not seeing Sonya in the first place. And while Sonya appreciated the sentiment, her protective instincts were not helping her feeling like a child at the moment.

 

What was worse was that it happened a second time. When they arrived at their destination their driver, who was still clearly enchanted by Sonya’s friends, bade them all farewell and waited for the car doors to open. Noelle, Alexia, and Britney all got out but Sonya had been having some trouble with her seat belt. The driver, apparently still not noticing her had begun to drive away.

 

“I’m still in here!” Sonya had squeaked. When she’d finally made it out of the car her face had been burning an even brighter shade of red than before. When she managed to get out of the car she joined her friends on the sidewalk.

 

“That idiot,” Britney was muttering darkly.

 

“Forget him, Blue you look amazing and you’re totally going to turn heads,” Noelle had said as she waved them all forward toward the bar entrance. Once inside they picked a table and sat. Sonya’s sense of looking ridiculous wasn’t helped by the fact that they’d picked a high top. This was fine for her friends but when Sonya sat on the stool her legs dangled conspicuously.

 

“Well let’s see if I even remember how to do this,” Alexia said, surprising Sonya by sounding slightly nervous.

 

“What’s the worry about? You look great and you’re out with friends!” Noelle said happily. Sonya thought she’d never seen her friend looking happier, Noelle was in her element. She was easily the most social of the group and it didn’t surprise Sonya that she’d thrive in this environment. Then she noticed that Britney was staring around the bar with an appraising eye.

 

“Not my kind of place,” the brunette said decisively as she turned back to face the group. In response, Noelle gave her an exasperated look.

 

“Would you at least give the night a try before you decide you don’t like it?” she asked.

 

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,”

 

“What is your kind of place Brit?” Alexia asked curiously.

 

“Here we go,” Noelle muttered as she left the table and headed toward the bar.

 

“Darker, quieter, and less crowded. The kind of place you go to drink by yourself.” Britney said. Both Alexia and Sonya laughed at this, making Britney scowl. The answer had just been so perfectly Britney.

 

“And where do you two like to drink then?” Britney asked sounding aggrieved.

 

“There’s a little pub near where I grew up, I still go there to watch football,” Alexia said. Sonya’s friend was originally from London.

 

“See? A pub sounds great!” Britney said emphatically.

 

“What about you Blue?” Alexia asked Sonya.

 

“I don’t...go out...much,” Sonya muttered.

 

“But you must have gone out before? Or at least had someone take you somewhere on a date,” Alexia said. Sonya just looked down at the tabletop in response. It didn’t take Britney long to pick up what was on her best friend’s mind.

 

“Uh, Lex?” Britney said as she jerked her head significantly over at Sonya. Alexia frowned for a moment before she realized what Britney was getting at. 

 

“Oh...Oh! I’m sorry Blue I didn’t mean…” she started to say but Sonya shook her head.

 

“It’s alright Lex, there aren't many boys that are eager to date someone who can’t even speak to them most of the time,” Sonya said sadly. This was a sore spot of long standing for her. Aside from a very awkward short-lived “boyfriend” in middle school, Sonya had never actually been in a relationship. Before either Britney or Alexia could think of anything to say to this Noelle returned.

 

“First round’s on me bitches! Let’s do this….” she said happily before trailing off at the expressions of her companions. “What did I miss?” she asked as she set four shot glasses full of clear liquid on the table.

 

“Nothing, we’re...we’re all good,” Britney said quickly, as ever, coming to Sonya’s aide.

 

“Yeah, we’re...OK…” Alexia said, though no more convincingly than Britney.

 

“Okay…” Noelle said slowly, obviously not believing them. Her eyes lingered on Sonya’s downcast face for a moment before she asked: “well...how about some drinks?”

 

Then Sonya had one of her rare moments of impulsive behavior. The subject of her lack of experience in romantic relationships always made her feel low. But tonight, for some reason, she felt galvanized as well. Without thinking about it Sonya reached across the table toward one of the shot glasses Noelle had deposited. Without pausing to think she lifted it to her lips and knocked it back. The liquid burned as it went down her throat causing her grimace and shake her head.

 

“That’s my girl Blue!” Noelle said happily as she took her own shot. Sonya saw Alexia and Britney exchange a look before taking their own. 

 

“Blech!...” Britney said as she set her glass down “...couldn’t it be something that wasn’t vodka?”

 

“And what would you prefer?” Noelle asked with another eye roll.

 

“A pint,” Alexia said.

 

“Bourbon,” Britney followed.

 

“Single malt, something from the highlands, and at least ten years old,” Sonya said, drawing surprised glances from Noelle and Alexia.

 

“Whoa…” Alexia said with a smile.

 

“You knew this?” Noelle asked Britney.

 

“She keeps a bottle in the apartment,” Britney said offhandedly.

 

“I can’t even handle this, let’s just go dance,” Noelle said as she tugged Sonya along in her wake. 

 

Something odd happened that night, for almost the first time in her life Sonya really laid herself out to be sociable. It wasn’t as though she totally overcame her awkwardness, far from it. But she really tried to push through and, this was the strange part, she actually managed to in small bursts. She attributed this to the fact that she’d always faced these kinds of situations alone in the past. Now she had three close friends who were there to help. Or maybe it was the alcohol.

 

And Sonya drank more that night than she ever had in one evening. After they’d all danced together for a while, and amused themselves with just how ungainly Britney was at this, they returned to their table. At this point, they ordered their second round of drinks, which they all drank off with gusto. Of course, two drinks meant one thing to Sonya’s friends, quite another to someone with her tiny frame.

 

Shortly after this second drink, Sonya’s vision developed a pleasant sort of hazy border. She could tell she was talking much louder than she normally did and she was definitely talking more. This seemed to delight her friends and so she kept going, even as she was aware it was now mostly the alcohol talking. And this led to the most notable incident of the night, and the one Sonya most regretted later.

 

Sonya was laughing, and laughing louder than she normally did at a joke that Britney had just told. Truthfully she was laughing harder than the small jest had warranted but the whole world seemed to be just a bit more amusing that night. Her loud giggling had apparently attracted attention however because Alexia nudged her and bent down to whisper in her ear.

 

“Blue, don’t look but there’s a boy that’s been staring at you for a minute now,” she said with a grin. Of course, being as drunk as she was Sonya immediately began to look from side to side.

 

“Where?” she asked, her blue hair fanning out around her. 

 

“I said DON’T look,” Alexia said as she reached out and grabbed Sonya’s face with both hands, immobilizing her head.

 

“Oops, I’m sorry…” Sonya said with a giggle.

 

“She’s so adorable,” Britney said with a grin.

 

“Come with me,” Noelle said as she gestured for Sonya to follow her. They made their way to the bathroom where Noelle positioned Sonya in front of the mirror and began fussing with her hair.

 

“Is something wrong?” Sonya asked, some of her usual personality managing to fight its way through her alcohol-induced giddiness. 

 

“No, you look so cute! The top really makes your hair and eyes pop, you should make sure and thank whoever got it for you” Noelle said distractedly as she continued to pull at Sonya’s hair.

 

“Thank you, Noelle,” Sonya said in a high girlish voice, sounding like a child who’d been reminded of their manners after being given a gift.

 

“Here, let’s do one last thing,” Noelle said as she dug in her clutch and withdrew a small tube which she handed to Sonya.

 

“What is this?” Sonya asked stupidly.

 

“It’s lip gloss dummy, put it on,” Noelle said. Sonya blinked at the tube as though she’d never heard of such a thing before. She knew only the very basics of how to apply makeup and she really only wore it when she was going to perform in ring. 

 

“What’s wrong with my lips?” Sonya asked as she turned to scrutinize herself in the mirror. 

 

“Nothing, but let’s make them more right,” Noelle said as she waved for Sonya to hurry. Once Sonya applied the gloss she and Noelle left the bathroom and returned to their table.

 

“Damn Blue!” Alexia said as Sonya arrived. She then gave Sonya a quick briefing before Noelle got Sonya’s attention.

 

“I’m just that good,” Noelle said as she shot a glance over at the other table. Turning back to Sonya she said, “just follow my lead OK?”. Sonya nodded and duly followed her friend as Noelle walked boldly over to a table where two men were standing.

 

“Hi, my name’s Noelle! I’ve got some good news for you” Noelle said in a bright voice as she reached the table.

 

“Oh yeah?...” one the men asked as he flashed a mouthful of brilliant teeth at Noelle “...what’s that?”

 

“If you tell us your names we’ll let you buy us a drink!” Noelle said, speaking as though she were offering the key to a treasure vault.

 

“That sounds fair…” the man said without shifting his smile a millimeter “...my name’s Jack and this guy’s Stephen.”

 

“Hello,” Noelle said politely to Stephen before shooting a sideways glance at Sonya. Sonya had been staring intently at Stephen, whom Alexia had told her was the one who had been looking at her. Sonya missed the look however and it was only after Noelle elbowed her once that she woke up to her situation.

 

“Hi...uh...I’m Sonya,” she said, trying to mimic Noelle’s vocal mannerisms. Even through the drinks her terrible awkwardness around men in these situations was asserting itself. 

 

“Nice to meet you!” Stephen said as he extended his hand toward her. Sonya giggled loudly at this, which drew sharp look from Noelle. Composing her face quickly Sonya ended up taking his hand as though she were a queen accepting homage.

 

“What will you ladies be having?” Jack asked.

 

“A scotch-” Sonya started to say but found herself being cut off by Noelle.

 

“Two cosmo’s please,” she said with a sweet smile. Sonya frowned and tugged on Noelle’s arm which caused her friend to lean down toward her.

 

“Noelle, I hate cosmo’s,” Sonya said urgently.

 

“It’s not about the drink Blue…” Noelle explained through her smile “...think of this like cutting a promo, there is a kind of character you need to convey,”

 

“I’m terrible at cutting promos,” Sonya reminded her in a slightly manic voice.

 

“I know sweetie, that’s why I’m here...” Noelle said quickly before popping upright and saying “...two cosmo’s!”

 

“You got it,” Jack said as he walked off toward the bar.

 

“So Stephen, what do you do?” Noelle asked. 

 

“I’m a handyman for a few apartment complexes around town,” Stephen answered. He had short dirty blonde hair, and very pale green eyes that Sonya thought seemed deeply intelligent.

 

“Wow, a man who likes to work with his hands. You know Sonya and I have a physical job too!” Noelle said.

 

“What do you two do?” Stephen asked. Noelle didn’t answer and Sonya turned to her with a quizzical look. Then she caught Noelle’s very significant glance.

 

“Oh, we...I mean...we’re wrestlers,” Sonya said.

 

“Wrestlers?” Stephen asked sounding confused.

 

“Yeah, like...professional wrestlers...well we’re students I guess but…” Sonya was tripping over her words and Noelle had to come to her rescue. 

 

“We’re training at the PWF Training and Development Center,” Noelle said.

 

“That’s so cool! I loved wrestling as a kid,” Stephen said eagerly. Before he could say any more Jack returned with their drinks

 

“Thank you, Jack!” Noelle said as she handed one of the drinks to Sonya. For her part, Sonya, who was feeling very nervous, took a long drink as soon as she could. 

 

The rest of the evening passed in a bit of a haze for her. Afterward, she would struggle to recall much about it unless one of her friends filled her in. The last thing she remembered distinctly was Noelle leading her away from the table and then Britney insisting that she and Sonya head home. Apparently, she tried to object but eventually, Britney and Alexia had almost carried her out of the bar.

 

Her recollections only resumed that next morning when her eyes cracked open and then immediately shut again. They’d been hit by a painful blast of light that sent daggers of pain shooting through her head. She groaned loudly as she rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. She didn’t know how long she was like that before she was startled by a voice.

 

“GOOD MORNING!” it said at an entirely unnecessary volume that made Sonya wince. As the pain resided she realized it was Noelle speaking.

 

“Noelle?” she asked groggily as she tried to raise her head off the bed only to bury her face in the comforter again when she realized this exposed her to more light.

 

“That’s right sunshine!” Noelle said brightly, though now at a more human volume. Human or not it was still enough to make Sonya wince again.

 

“Could you talk more quietly please,” Sonya half whispered and half gasped as she clawed for her pillow. It was just out of reach but a moment later it was slid helpfully toward her hand. Seizing it she held it over her head as she groaned.

 

“Is this your first hangover?” Noelle asked sounding very curious.

 

“Yes…” Sonya mumbled from under her pillow.

 

“HEY LEX!...” Noelle shouted, sending hot spears lancing into Sonya’s brain “...I OWE YOU $5!”

 

“Told you!” Sonya heard Alexia call from elsewhere in the apartment.

 

“Why do you keep doing that?!” Sonya moaned as she held her pillow more firmly over her head.

 

“Because it’s just something that happens to people on their first hangover,” Noelle said happily. In response, Sonya curled quickly up into a ball and moaned.

 

“Go away…” Sonya groaned. Under normal circumstances Sonya wouldn’t dream of saying this to anyone, nevermind one of her best friends, but today her head felt like it was exploding.

 

“How much of last night do you remember Blue?” Noelle asked, NOT going away. Sonya just grunted in response.

 

“Does she remember?” she heard Alexia ask, now inside the room.

 

“Nope,” Noelle said.

 

“Go away!” Sonya whined.

 

“Here, this will help,” Alexia said kindly a moment later Sonya felt something nudging her side. When she didn’t move the nudging became more insistent. Eventually, Alexia said, “Blue...don’t make me pick you up”. Knowing that her friend really could do this, Sonya grumbled and lifted her pillow just enough to see what Alexia was offering her.

 

It was a bottle of Powerade and several gel capsules. Squinting her eyes against the light she reached out and popped the capsules in her mouth before draining a few gulps of the sports drink. She then retreated back under her pillow.

 

“Soooooo remember Stephen?” Noelle asked in a tone that made Sonya’s churning stomach sink.

 

“No…” Sonya lied.

 

“Of course you do! And I’d bet anything I have that he remembers you...vividly,” Noelle went on.

 

“Oh no…” Sonya moaned.

 

“It really seemed like you liked him though Blue,” Alexia said, sounding as though she were trying to be fair.

 

“Oh no no no…” Sonya said from under her pillow.

 

“My favorite part was when you said ‘you look like a million bucks! And smell like a million bucks too! Like fresh money paper!” Noelle said with a giggle. This was enough to make Sonya cope with the pain in her head as she set her pillow aside and looked up at her friends.

 

“I said that?...” she asked in a small voice. 

 

“Very loudly,” Alexia said, fighting a grin.

 

“Why would you tell me this,” Sonya said as she hid under her pillow again.

 

“Because we are your friends Sonya, and we get to make you suffer just a little,” Noelle said teasingly. Oddly, despite the pain she was in this remark helped Sonya feel better...though only a little. Not only did she have friends, but friends who cared enough to stay the night at her place to keep an eye on her, no matter what Noelle said about wanting to mock her.

 

It was a testament to just how much this warmed her heart that she was able to wonder if their support would be enough for what she had to do that coming day. She decided that it would be, and later that day, when she felt slightly better she sat down at her desk. Taking a notebook out she began writing furiously, hoping that it would pay off like she hoped it would at the Forge tomorrow. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know it's always fun to get Sonya out into the world and into new situations, and this is sort of the ultimate hurdle for her. 
> 
> Keep those likes, comments, and bookmarks coming friends! I really appreciate them!
> 
> What did you guys like here? Sonya is just so delightfully awkward isn't she? But for all of that, she has a heart of gold and I think her friends see that. When do you think we'll next see Sonya out and about?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17: The Death of the Grasshopper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya is finally forced to confront Scott Levy over Grasshopper Girl

“Good morning Mr. Asai,” Sonya North said shyly as she walked into the secondary training room where she and Yoshihiro Asai, better known as the Ultimo Dragon, had been training over the previous week.

 

More accurately, Asai had been training her and doing so quite rigorously. Sonya was considered to be a fairly good high flyer, but she’d never been through as intensive a course of aerial maneuvers like she had last week. The training had been so arduous that she’d even forgotten to be star struck by her instructor.

 

Despite her initial extreme trepidation over having to spend a week with training under the eye of the Ultimo Dragon himself, Sonya thought the week had gone fairly well. Though they’d been difficult she hadn’t run into any maneuver that she wasn’t capable of doing. She’d even managed to impress the Dragon by her ability to tightrope walk on the ropes. Given how her weekend had begun by tumultuous and progressed to embarrassing she was actually glad to be back in an environment she thought she could handle.

 

Had she not been wondering what she’d be asked to do today she would have noted how odd this kind of certainty on her part was. Sonya suffered from, among other things, severe social anxiety and very low self-esteem. Yet here she was confident that training under one of the all-time greats had been less demanding than a weekend social outing.

 

“Good morning _Ao,”_ Yoshihiro Asai said with a slight inclination of his head.

 

He was sitting on ring apron watching as Sonya entered the training room. He seemed pleased by the fact that, without having to be told, Sonya went right into her warm-ups. He refrained from commenting as she did and instead simply sat on apron patiently. It took Sonya about fifteen minutes to finish during which time neither of them spoke or even really acknowledged the other, which suited them both fine.

 

For Sonya, this worked simply because she was so awkward that she found she preferred when people simply ignored her. She guessed that for Asai, it was more that he wasn’t one to speak unless he had something he needed to say. Whatever the case, neither of them spoke until she’d finished her warm-up and came to stand in front of him.

 

“I’ve watched film of our previous training sessions _Ao,_ I noticed that you need to tighten up your form on your lionsaults, particularly the praying variety. We will begin there,” Asai said as he waved her over to the ropes.

 

The lionsault was a difficult maneuver on its own but Asai had insisted that Sonya work on a  variation where she clasped her hands together as she rotated. This tended to shrink an already tiny margin for error. Privately Sonya doubted she’d ever incorporate the move into her arsenal but she was never comfortable arguing with an authority figure so off the ropes she went. It was only as she prepared to launch into her first repetition that she learned that Asai had more in mind for her than just practicing the move.

 

“Tell me about Grasshopper Girl _Ao?”_ he asked even as Sonya sprinted toward one set of ropes. The question caught her off guard and made her pull up before she could jump.

 

“What?” she asked in surprise.

 

“I did not say to stop practicing _Ao,_ get to your lionsaults and answer my question,” Asai said sharply. As always, a rebuke sent Sonya scurrying even as she tried to grapple with the question.

 

‘Grasshopper Girl’ was the name of the character that the Forge’s head Creative Advisor, Scott Levy, had initially pitched for Sonya as she continued through the Forge. Ever student had received a similar character to begin developing. The problem for Sonya was that ‘Grasshopper Girl’ was about as opposite her own personality as it was possible to be.

 

Sonya was a quiet, retiring, and painfully shy woman. Grasshopper Girl seemed to have been conceived as a kind of PG version of Deadpool. The character sheet she’d been given had described her as having an endless supply of quips and one-liners to be delivered throughout her matches. Sonya had probably delivered fewer than twenty quips and/or one-liners in her adult life.

 

Worse to Sonya, though harder to articulate to others, was the color issue. Sonya’s favorite color in the world was blue, and this didn’t do its impact on her life justice. She firmly believed that if her soul had a color, it would be blue. Her eyes were a pale blue and for as long as she could remember she’d been coloring her hair a light royal blue. She was the opposite of a vain person but she was very attached to her blue hair as she felt it was an expression of her personality.

 

Grasshopper Girl’s primary color was to be green. Levy envisioned green ring gear and had even suggested that Sonya color her hair green. This, as much as the poor fit personality wise, had made Sonya certain that she could never be Grasshopper Girl. Not only could she not play the part but doing so would create of sense of dislocation in her.

 

All of this flashed through her mind as she leaped at the ropes in front of her. Clinging to the top and middle ropes she let them bend ever so slightly before taking advantage of their snapping back to launch herself back toward the middle of the ring. As she rotated through the air she clasped her hands together as though in prayer. It was surprising to Sonjya just how much more difficult this made the move seem. But apparently, the human body just wanted its arms splayed when it was soaring backward through the air. When she landed with a thud in the center of the ring she turned to Asai for his opinion only to find her instructor looking stern.

 

“Clasp your hands, it’s not enough to merely press them together. You also still haven’t answered my question _Ao_ ,” he said curtly.

 

Feeling, a familiar burning in her cheeks Sonya started to answer saying: “I-”

 

“The lionsault _Ao!_ How many times must I tell you?” Asai snapped. Giving a tiny panicked squeak Sonya hurried back toward the ropes once more.

 

As she ran she said: “I didn’t understand your question, Mr. Asai”. She said this last with a grunt as she launched herself backward once more.

 

“Tell me what the idea of Grasshopper Girl is, what is being asked of you,  you’re also hesitating on the second rope for half a second. It’s cheating you of distance.” Asai answered. Sonya tried to process everything she’d told her as, automatically, she headed back towards the ropes.

 

“Grasshopper Girl is…” she said before she grunted as she flew backward off the ropes yet again. As she landed, not realizing she’d just done the move perfectly, she thought hard of what she intended to say. She knew to her very core that Grasshopper Girl was wrong for her but suddenly it was difficult to articulate why.

 

“The lionsaults _Ao!”_ Asai barked. Startled, Sonya ran back at the ropes as she began to talk.

 

“Grasshopper Girl is…” here she paused as she flew through the air again before landing and saying: “...wrong.”

 

“Keep your knees together as your rotate! Why is Grasshopper Girl wrong?”

 

“Because…” Sonya said through gritted teeth “...it’s the opposite of who I am. It’s asking me to be someone that I can never be”. As she finished saying this she landed with a thud on the canvas.

 

“Why should we accept that? Everyone has to work on their characters, why shouldn’t we view this as whining?” Asai asked as Sonya hurried toward the ropes yet again.

 

“Because I’ll work harder than anyone but this isn’t about growing into something. This is just a bad fit and it feels like it was a bad fit on purpose!” Sonya said, uncharacteristically and surprisingly angry all the sudden.

 

“Why do you think that?”

 

“BECAUSE…” Sonya suddenly found herself shouting “...people ALWAYS do that. They just make decisions before me because I’m a quiet girl and no one ever asks!”

 

“Why should they ask _Ao?_ If you won’t speak for yourself then why should they bother?”

 

“They shouldn’t! No-...I mean...I just want to have a voice!” Sonya shouted.

 

She was yelling louder than she had in maybe ever. More importantly, she was saying things that she’d wanted to say for so long and had never had the nerve to. Not even with family, not even with Britney. She said this last as she landed one last time, perfectly as it happened, in the center of the ring. Her chest was heaving and it had nothing to do with her workout.

 

Asai just stared at her for a long time, but with an expression, she’d only rarely seen on his face. He wasn’t his usual stern and withdrawn self, he was smiling softly. This wasn’t just any smile however, it was the smile of a mentor whose student had just grasped the most important thing they’d been trying to teach.

 

“If you want to have a voice _Ao..._ then you need to speak for yourself,” Asai said in a quiet and almost fatherly tone. Sonya, suddenly abashed by her shouting looked automatically down at her feet.

 

“I’m...I’m sorry-” she started to say but she jumped when Asai suddenly stamped his foot on the mat.

 

“No!...” he barked “...no more apologies from you. You use them as a shield, but it’s time for you to come out from behind it. If you want a voice then you need to claim it. You can start by going to see Mr. Levy and telling him how you feel.”

 

“I-” Sonya started to say, her eyes widening at the prospect.

 

“Go! Don’t come back until you have and if you can’t then simply leave!” Asai snapped.

 

This was enough to send Sonya scampering from the room but she wasn’t at all confident in her next step. After a quick stop off at the locker rooms, she found her feet were carrying her toward Levy’s office but this just stoked her panic. It was one thing to shout in a mostly empty room but another to march up to a former ECW and NWA world champion and tell him he was wrong to his face.

 

“Oh god, oh god, oh god!” she was repeating over and over to herself as she approached Levy’s office. She was so focused that she didn’t even notice that she blew right past Lance Douglas in the hallway, not hearing a word he said to her. As she approached the office she felt more and more like she might give in to her urge to take Asai at his word and simply sprint out of the Forge.

 

When she reached the door that read ‘Scott Levy: Head Creative Advisor” she paused. Her hear heart was pounding like a war drum and her palms were suddenly sweaty. She stared at the door for a long time as though hoping it might open on its own. Some part of her knew that if she stared much longer she’d never go in. It was probably that part that raised her arm and rapped on the door’s surface. As this happened Sonya watched as though she were a distant observer.

 

“Come in,” a man’s voice called from inside. Part of Sonya was almost glad that her body seemed to be moving on autopilot at the moment, otherwise, she might still have fled. Instead, something lifted her hand to the door handle and pulled the door open.

 

“North? What can I do for you?” Levy asked as he looked up from his desk.

 

“M...Mr. Levy? Do you have a moment?” Sonya heard herself say.

 

“Only a few, so don’t waste them stuttering,” Levy said as he looked back down at this work while pointing to a chair in front of his desk.

 

“Oh OK…” Sonya started but then found she was suddenly out of words.

 

 _“You CANNOT be serious!”_ she raged at herself internally.

 

“What do you want North?” Levy asked, sounding bored.

 

“I...I...I wanted to talk to you…” Sonya managed to say.

 

“ _STOP IT! Just talk!”_ her mind shouted.

 

“Uh-huh...I gathered as much by you come to see me, did you want to talk about anything specifically? Levy asked, starting to sound annoyed.

 

“Grasshopper Girl,” Sonya said after another pause, sounding as though every syllable had been dragged out of her with a fishing hook.

 

“What about it?”

 

“I don’t...I can’t...I don’t like it,” Sonya said, she wanted to slap herself for how pathetic this sounded.

 

“What?” Levy asked, finally looking up. Sonya felt like shrinking in her seat but she knew she was committed now.

 

“I...I don’t want to be Grasshopper Girl,” Sonya said quietly. Levy looked at her evenly for a few moments before he spoke.

 

“Do you remember me asking you, or any of your classmates if you ‘liked’ your characters?” Levy asked.

 

“No…” Sonya answered.

 

“Why do you think that was?”

 

“I-” Sonya started to say but Levy cut her off.

 

“Because even people like you who already have one haven’t ever worked with one on a stage like the PWF. That’s why we work one out for you. You don’t think you’re the first one who hasn’t loved their character instantly?” Levy asked, sounding more than a little annoyed now.

 

“No, I-” Sonya tried to say but again got interrupted.

 

“If you feel like you can do better on your own and without help then you’re free to leave North, but if you want to be part of the PWF then you’ll work with what we give you. Now get out of my office,” Levy said in an exasperated tone. He looked back down at his work, a definite gesture of dismissal.

 

Sonya half stood automatically. A large part of her, the part she fervently wished didn’t control her so often, was happy for the reason to leave. If Sonya let this part of her make her decisions now she knew she’d leave the office and never speak another word about this. She’d do her best to be Grasshopper Girl, and that would be the end. She might hang around for a while based on her in-ring skills but eventually, her complete inability to be the character the PWF wanted would win out. All this would happen if she did what she always did, what she was told.

 

She didn’t.

 

Turning quickly she strode up to Levy’s desk and said one word: “no.”

 

“Excuse me?” Levy asked her sharply, he looked angry now. The other Sonya would have fled at that expression, but now she stared right back.

 

“I said, no Mr. Levy. You and the other instructors know more about wrestling than I do and I am very excited to be here learning from you all. But you obviously all saw something in me if you invited me here! BUT, I know more about myself than any of you. Grasshopper Girl is a not for me and I think you know it. I don’t know why you’re trying to set me up to fail but that’s not fair. I came here to give you all everything and I still will but I don’t appreciate being forced to do things that will only end badly,” Sonya sand, speaking in a way that she’d never done to an authority figure before.

 

“North-” Levy tried to interject but Sonya was rolling as she’d never been before.

 

“If you REALLY believe that Grasshopper Girl is the ONLY way I’ll make it in the PWF then I have to respect your opinion and I’ll leave. And someday, when I’m main eventing for the WWE or Ring of Honor or over in Japan we can both look back on today as the time when it was decided I wouldn't be doing it for you. But if you don’t want that, and I don’t, then we can work together to make a better character for me…” she said before rummaging in her pocket and withdrawing a crumpled piece of paper and slapping it down on Levy’s desk adding: “...these are my ideas!”

 

Levy didn’t answer her right away. He still looked angry as he glared into Sonya’s blue eyes, it took everything she had to not flinch. Eventually, he transferred his gaze from her eyes down to the paper she’d left on his desk and the back to her face. They were silent for so long that Sonya wondered if he just wanted her to leave. She was thinking of doing so and, incidentally, packing up her things when Levy finally spoke.

 

‘“Well it’s about damned time North,” he said, sounding disgruntled. This had not been what Sonya had been expecting from him. To be truthful she hadn’t had a very clear idea what she should have been expecting but it wasn’t that.  

 

“Umm…” was all Sonya could manage, sounding much more like herself.

 

“Have a seat,” Levy said, waving her back to the chair she’d vacated. Still feeling very non-plussed Sonya did as she was bid.

 

“Tell me something North, do you think I’m stupid?” Levy asked, surprising Sonya not only with the question but by his suddenly casual tone.

 

“Uh...no?” Sonya answered, still struggling to make sense of her situation.

 

“Good, I hope I’m not. But if we can work on the assumption that I am not stupid, did you think that your instructors and I didn’t realize that you were never going to be able to be Grasshopper girl? Or that we thought it was even a good idea in general? I mean shit, ‘Grasshopper Girl’? What is this a comic book?” Levy asked.

 

”I...then….why?” Sonya stammered.

 

“To see if you’d ever get out of your own way long enough to do what you just did.  You’re right, you wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think you belonged. But if you continue to live your life so down on yourself you won’t be any good to anyone.” Levy said. Sonya was trying hard to process all of this when a question occurred to her.

 

“What were you going to do if I’d never said anything?”

 

“Nothing…” Levy said matter of factly “...we’ have let you try to be Grasshopper Girl and you’d either of surprised the hell out of us or failed. If you’d failed you’d have washed out and that would have been that. It’s tough business North, and we’re just as tough here.”

 

The realization of the fate she’d just avoided struck Sonya like a thunderbolt. What was more, the realization that she’d almost walked willingly into it shook her to her core. She was forced to wonder if she’d missed out on other opportunities in her life because other people had been testing her in a similar fashion. It was a sobering idea.

 

While she’d been thinking Levy had picked up the paper she’d given him. When Sonya finally looked up he was reading it intently. Neither of them spoke for a while but eventually, Levy nodded with a small grunt. Turning to look at Sonya he said: “I’ll look at this and then meet with the others and we’ll work on an ACTUAL character for you. In the meantime get back to your classes.”

 

“OK…” Sonya said, stunned by the unexpected way this meeting had gone but feeling a rising tide of elation nonetheless. Without another word she made for the door and began to pull it open before she paused once more.

 

“What is it North?” Levy asked from behind her.

 

“Grasshopper Girl really was a dumb idea,” Sonya said with a small grin.

 

“And yet you bought it for this long. Also, don’t push your luck,” Levy said. Sonya took the hint and left quickly.

 

As she emerged into the hallway she didn’t bother trying to keep a big grin from spreading across her face. She was heading back to the training room where she assumed Asai was waiting when she ran into McKayala Maroney. The Olympian was leaving another training room and when she saw Sonya her lip instantly curled.

 

“Where have you been hiding mute?” she asked acidly. Ordinarily, this kind of remark would have caused Sonya to retreat within herself. She would stare at her feet while McKayla landed a few more choice insults and then left. But not today.

 

Sonya took a quick step forward, something that McKaylay flinch reflexively. Sonya guessed this was because shortly after they’d all first arrived at the Forge, she’d been slapped hard by Sonya’s best friend Britney Shane for taunting Sonya. Sonya didn’t slap her, instead, she put a hand on McKayla’s arm and smiled.

 

“You look really nice today McKayla,” was all Sonya said, and she meant it. The Gymnast was a beautiful woman and Sonya was often envious of how she could look so good in workout clothes.

 

McKayala sneered reflexively at this remark but, to Sonya’s eye, the expression seemed to lack any real venom. She didn’t dwell on this however as she’d already pushed past McKayla and onto her destination. When she arrived she found Asai waiting for her in the training ring with an expression on his face that might be called ‘detached expectation’. At his feet was a large box.

 

“Since you are here I assume you spoke to Mr. Levy?” Asai asked.

 

“I did, and...I told him what you-...what I need to.” Sonya said, correcting herself mid-statement. Asai seemed to have sensed what she had been about to say and to approve her decision not to.

 

“Then with the rest of the day we will work on a specific set of maneuvers I would like you to consider adding to your repertoire,” he said as she nodded Sonya toward one of the turnbuckles.  

 

“May I ask what is in the box, Mr. Asai?” Sonya asked curiously.

 

“A gift for you _Ao,_ however, I would like you to wait until you get home to open it,” Asai told her as he moved the box under the bottom rope with his foot.

 

“Okay,” Sonya said as she climbed.

 

Hours later Sonya was leaving the Forge, bundled against the cold of the Minnesota winter, with the box Asai had given her at their farewell under her arm. Sonya was sad that she wouldn’t be spending any more time with the legend and a little nervous about rejoining the rest of her class in normal lessons the next day. But she was also very grateful to Yoshihiro Asai and hoped she’d someday get to meet him again.

 

“I’m so proud of you Blue,” her best friend and roommate Britney Shane said from beside her. They were both walking to Britney’s car, they usually carpooled to the Forge.

 

“Thanks, Brit,” Sonya said happily. Truth be told she proud of herself, something that almost never happened.

 

“You know that I have to see what’s in the box though right?” Britney asked with a grin.

 

“Of course!” Sonya said as she put the box in the back seat and then climbed in the passenger door. When they reached the apartment Sonya spent some time getting changed into her ‘at home’ clothes and then walked barefoot out the living room to find Britney waiting expectantly next to the box which Sonya had left on the table.

 

“What?” Sonya asked her in a confused tone of voice.

 

“Oh my god, of course, she’d ask that!” a tiny voice said from the table. Smiling, Britney lifted her phone to show a video call in progress. Noelle Foley and Alexia England were both on the screen beaming at her. Sonya now knew it had been Noelle who had just spoken.

 

“I told them about the mystery present, they want to see as much as I do,” Britney said with a grin. Sonya smiled back and, without another word, she hurried over and began pulling at the wrapping paper off the package. When it was gone it revealed a large white cardboard box. Sonya paused for a second here, suddenly nervous about what might be inside.

 

“Uh, Blue? You know that the box isn’t the gift right?” Alexia asked from the phone.

 

“Shhh!” Britney said quickly as she watched Sonya with a smile on her face. Taking a deep breath Sonya lifted the boxes cover and set it aside. Looking down into the box itself she saw a pair of wrestling boots nestled in tissue paper.

 

The boots were, there was no other word for it, beautiful. They were made of a patent leather of a much higher quality than that of her normal boots. They were candy blue with a pair of vertical black stripes flanking their laces, each strip trimmed in a silverish-white. But what drew the eye were two final details.

 

First, like Sonya’s old boots, each had a blue crescent moon high on the outside of her calf with each moon also being trimmed in silver. Second, each had a small string of what Sonya assumed was Japanese writing running along the outside of her foot. The calligraphy was so elegant that it appeared almost delicate, each silver character seemed to flash in the light.

 

“Ohhhhhhh those are pretty!” Noelle gushed from the phone.

 

“How do I get gear like that?” Alexia asked.

 

“What does the writing say Blue?” Noelle asked.

 

“I don’t know…” Sonya said with a frown. She supposed it made sense that it was there given that the boots had been given to her by Asai himself, but it seemed odd that he’d give her boots emblazoned with words that he knew she couldn’t understand.

 

“Uh. ladies…” Britney said as she set the phone down and pulled a piece of paper from the box.

 

“Hey!” both Noelle and Alexia protested. Sonya quickly picked up the phone and then moved to stand beside Britney so they could both be seen.

 

“What is it Brit?” Sonya asked, easily the most curious of all. To her surprise, Britney’s first response was a smile so broad that seemed to cover her whole face.

 

“It’s a translation, at least I assume,” Britney said, carefully holding the card so none of the rest of them could see it.

 

“Well, spill!” Noelle cried. Britney’s grin seemed to grow ever wider as she turned to look at Sonya.

 

“Daughter of the Dragon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having so much fun since I jumped fully back into the world of the PWF and of course our Blue Moon. Sonya is just such a compelling character to write and I hope some of that comes through to you all as you read her story. 
> 
> Does anyone want to jump in the sandbox with me? let me know, I'd love to have you in the PWF.
> 
> This was such a huge step for Sonya and yet I think we all realize that Sonya's particular struggle is not one that is won with a big gesture or even a hundred. It's about the marathon and not the sprint and we'll have to see if she has it in her. I hope so.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	18. Chapter 18: Pairings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya, fresh off her triumph, faces the prospect of her biggest challenges yet.

“Come on Brit! Two more!” Sonya North heard her friend Alexia shout from across the workout room.     
  
Sonya, Alexia, Britney, and several other members of their class were all in one the Forge’s weight rooms. This was a key part of their training, the transformation of their bodies. All of the students were accomplished athletes in their own right but for most this had always been a part-time status. They hadn’t been able to support themselves solely through their physical prowess. As this meant most had held other ‘normal’ jobs they had been limited in the amount of time they had to train. Now that they were all full-time students this cap went away and they could reap the benefits of a situation where their ‘job’ was to train.   
  
There were exceptions of course. McKayla Maroney and Shawne Merriman had both been professionals in their previous sports and both had had the benefit of training at the highest levels. Then there were was Britney Shane, a woman who had never been a professional athlete of any kind but had still arrived at the Forge in as near to perfect physical condition as it was possible to be. Some of this was, of course, genetics but it was mostly the fact that Britney Shane embodied the stereotype of a workout junky.   
  
Sonya, who lived with Britney, knew this better than anyone. Britney rose well before the sun, even in the summer, and had often squeezed in both a run and a light yoga session by the time Sonya woke up. After breakfast, they would then both go to the Forge where Britney would spend the rest of the day training harder than anyone else in their class. Upon heading home Britney would once again go on a run and then end the day with more yoga. Sonya was tired just thinking about it.   
  
“One more Brit!” Alexia shouted again.    
  
Alexia England, another of Sonya’s good friends, was probably the only woman in the Forge who was physically stronger than Britney. This was fair enough as she was four inches taller and almost fifteen pounds heavier. Sonya knew that Britney had in fact been delighted to find out that she wasn’t as strong as Alexia, it gave her something to work toward AND a workout partner who could lift weights with her safely. Britney had tried to use Sonya for this once and had found the results, to put it mildly, disappointing.    
  
In contrast to the Amazonian Alexia and the cut from marble Britney, Sonya was almost spritelike in her proportions. She was in good shape, she had to be to be a wrestler, but to her physical training was a means to an end not a form of recreation. A view shared by the final member of her foursome of friends, Noelle Foley, who was running on a treadmill nearby.   
  
There was a loud bellow as Britney hoisted the bar she’d been pressing for the final time, then a loud metallic clanking as Alexia helped lift into its brackets. Looking around the room Sonya saw that several other students were looking on in mixed attitudes of admiration, bemusement, and, in the case of McKayla Maroney and her friend Hannah Hunter, scorn. Of course, neither of them said anything to either Britney or Alexia. Both were significantly smaller than either Britney or Alexia and McKayla had already once been slapped by Britney.    
  
Sonya shook herself from these reflections and returned to her own workout. As a consequence of her in-ring style, high flyer, Sonya’s vertical leap actually took on greater importance to her than the kind of upper body strength that Alexia and Britney were working on. To this end, she was doing depth jumps. This involved her leaping up on to a stack of mats that corresponded roughly to her current vertical leap, jumping back down to the floor, and springing right back up onto the stack.    
  
She’d been doing this for almost twenty minutes now and her legs were burning with the exertion. She was down to her final set and was preparing to spring up once more when she was interrupted by the arrival of Kim Jon So.   
  
“Sonya,” was all he said by way of greeting.   
  
“Umm...hi Kim,” Sonya said uncertainly. Sonya was far from a social person, being shy to a rare degree, but she rarely actually disliked anyone. She didn’t dislike Kim, but she didn’t know if she liked him either. This wasn’t based on some hang up in his personality but because the Korean-American was even less talkative than herself. Sonya simply didn’t know anything about him. The one word he’d said to her just now still wouldn’t have brought the total number they’d exchanged up into the double digits.   
  
“Have you see Lance? He was supposed to meet me here,” Kim said, in what was an incredibly verbose offering for him. Lance Douglas was another of Sonya and Kim’s classmates and could aptly have been described as their opposite. Douglas was the class’ self-appointed clown and seemed to never NOT be talking. The fact that he and Kim had somehow struck up an unlikely friendship had the topic of much speculation among Sonya and her friends.    
  
“Maybe they’re ‘together’” Noelle Foley had suggested the last time they’d discussed the topic.   
  
“Lance isn’t gay!” Alexia and put in sharply.   
  
“Why they have to be ‘together’ to be close?” Britney had asked sounding annoyed.   
  
“They wouldn’t…” Noelle explained patiently though with some annoyance of her own “...but I can’t think of another reason besides that why someone like Kim would spend that much time with someone like Lance.”   
  
Whatever the case, back in the present Sonya just shook her head and said: “sorry, I haven’t seen him.”   
  
Before Kim could respond, however, Lance’s voice came from a few feet away: “Hey! It’s my two favorite walking vows of silence Sonya and Kim!”. Sonya blushed at this, she actually found Lance pretty funny but she might have been the worst person in the world at repartee.    
  
“You’re late,” Kim said flatly.   
  
“A wizard is never late Mr. Kim, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to,” Lance responded in a credible Ian McKellan impression. Sonya snorted softly at this but when Lance winked at her she had to look down to hide a second blush.     
  
“Are you a wizard?” Kim asked with a tiny edge of impatience in his voice.   
  
“You don’t know that I’m NOT one,” Lance pointed out. Before Kim could answer this the group was joined by Britney and Alexia.   
  
“Hey, Lance!” Alexia said brightly.    
  
“Ello my lady,” Lance answered in an equally happy tone, slipping into an accent reminiscent of Burt the chimney sweep. Alexia giggled in a way that Sonya had never heard her do before at this. Britney, however, seemed less impressed.    
  
“Kim,” she said with a small smile as she nodded at him, a gesture he returned. Turning to Lance with a more reserved expression on her face she said: “motormouth.”   
  
Lance put a hand dramatically over his heart as his face took on an expression deepest pain while he said: “well that just hurts Britney, when are we just going to get over all this tension and get hitched?”. Britney rolled her eyes and walked away leaving Alexia looking uncertain and Sonya snorting softly. “That woman REALLY does not like me,” Lance said in casually as she stared after Britney.   
  
“She doesn’t dislike you she-” Alexia started to say. Sonya was actually quite curious to see how Alexia was going to try and explain away Britney’s very obvious dislike of Lance when they were interrupted yet again.    
  
“England, Foley, Shane, come to see me please,” Gail Kim called from the door. Sonya exchanged a quick glance of surprise before Alexia began walking toward the door, joined along the way by Noelle.   
  
“I wonder what that’s about?” Lance asked.   
  
“The rest of you back to work!” Kim said before she and Sonya’s friends left.   
  
Sonya didn’t find out where her friends had gone until later that day. She was running along the Forge’s indoor track when she saw all three of them enter the main floor. Altering her course she jogged over to meet them. As she arrived she studied their faces. Noelle was uncharacteristically somber though trying to hide it with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Alexia and Britney were both looking pleased about something.   
  
“Hey Blue,” Alexia greeted her.   
  
“Hey, so what happened?” she asked. Sonya was a worrier by nature and her mind had been busily taking her down an ever steeper spiral of implausibly horrible possibilities since her friends had left the weight room earlier. To her surprise, no one answered right away Britney and Alexia both seemed to be trying hard not to grin while avoiding Noelle’s eye. For her part, Noelle’s false smile had dropped away to reveal a glum expression. When had Sonya had been left looking from one to another and then another for some time Noelle finally rolled her eyes.   
  
“Don’t stay quiet for my sake, you two deserve to be happy,” she said, sounding terribly resigned. Both Britney and Alexia tried to look sympathetic and understanding at first but the effect was spoiled as broad grins spread across their faces.   
  
“We’re going to be on Omega!” Alexia said in voice transformed into an excited squeal in her happiness.   
  
“What?!” asked, her own volume rising in her shock.   
  
“Yes! We’re going to be on Omega this week!” Alexia said as her voice got, if possible, even more excited.   
  
“What? How?” Sonya asked in stunned bewilderment.   
  
“Mona Salama needs some bodyguards on TV and I guess she remembered seeing us at Collision and suggested us!” Alexia said eagerly. Sonya recalled watching Mona ‘Mo Money’ Salama do an interview when they’d been backstage at the PWF’s weekly Interbrand show ‘Collision’. Salama had indeed walked past them and had even exchanged a quick a look with Noelle but Sonya was still surprised that she’d remembered them specifically.   
  
Then again, she thought, perhaps it wasn’t surprising at all. Both Britney and Alexia were very striking and beautiful women. Alexia in particular, given her height, tended to stand out wherever she was. Casting an appraising look at her friends Sonya decided that they would indeed make an imposing set of bodyguards.   
  
“That is so cool!” Sonya said, her own excitement finally catching to up to Alexia’s as she stepped forward and hugged her friend.   
  
“We get a free trip to Phoenix and all we have to do is show up the arena, put on some suits and dark sunglasses, and look tough for a few minutes? I’ll take that!” Britney said eagerly from beside them. Sonya moved to hug her too then remembered there was someone else present. Turning to Noelle Sonya once again saw that her friend was trying hard to look happy for Britney and Alexia.   
  
“Noelle, what’s wrong?” she asked, her voice concerned. Noelle didn’t answer right away, she closed her eyes seemed to steady herself at first.   
  
“I’m going to Phoenix too,” she finally said, as though this would explain everything to Sonya.   
  
“OK,” was all Sonya said, she knew there had to be more than this.    
  
“I’m going...or they want me to go because...they convinced my dad to do an appearance on Omega,” Noelle said, sounding as though each word pained her deeply.   
  
“Oh…” Sonya said, comprehension dawning. This explained why Noelle was looking so down and why Britney’s supportive expression had become so fixed on her face. Noelle was the daughter of Mick Foley, a legend of professional wrestling. Noelle’s whole career had been spent in the shadow of her father’s accomplishments. Moreover, Noelle believed that she hadn’t actually earned many of her opportunities, her last name had.    
  
Sonya, as well as Britney and Alexia, thought this was absurd. Noelle was not only a very talented athlete but also one of the most charismatic and vivacious people Sonya had ever even heard of. She was a natural both in the ring on a microphone. She’d told Noelle this many times, as had Alexia and Britney. This hadn’t had any real effect on Noelle’s insecurities though.   
  
Britney and Noelle had once gotten into a heated argument over this very point. Noelle, upon first receiving her character sheet at the Forge, had been extremely depressed to learn that the character she’d been given was centered around her being Mick Foley’s daughter. Britney, in an ill-advised attempt to motivate Noelle, had simply challenged her to use it as motivation to make other people see how talented she really was. Unfortunately, she’d done so in an extremely blunt and confrontational manner.    
  
The fight had very nearly blown the then very new friendship apart with Sonya and Alexia facing the prospect of choosing sides. Fortunately, it had blown over very quickly and they’d all remained friends. But the subject of Noelle’s feelings about her status as a legacy was a tricky one amongst them that they usually avoided. Yet here it was being thrust in front of them.   
  
“I’m sorry Noelle,” Sonya said as she struggled to think of anything else to say. To cover this she stepped over and hugged Noelle too. This was trickier than most hugs because Noelle, like almost everyone, was significantly taller than Sonya. It had to be approached from the correct angle otherwise Sonya risked pressing her face into Noelle’s chest.    
  
“Thanks, Sonya, and I’ll get over it I just...it’s had,” Noelle said as she returned Sonya’s hug.    
  
“Can I say something?” Britney suddenly spoke up. The whole group tensed but, sensing this, Britney held up her hands.   
  
“Look, I know we try not to talk about this and I know that’s my fault. I was wrong before Noelle and I am still sorry. But...I know you hate this, but it could be a real opportunity for you too,” Britney said. Sonya and Alexia’s eyes turned to Noelle at this, nervously waiting to see how she’d respond. Noelle kept them waiting for a long time before she finally nodded slowly.   
  
“Thank’s Brit, all of you. I’ll be fine I promise,” she said with a weak but much more genuine smile before she turned and walked away. Alexia, ever unwilling to leave things on a negative note, started after her but Britney put out a hand.   
  
“Let her have some time Lex, you’ll see her tonight,” she said. Alexia seemed like she wanted to argue for a moment before she nodded. Turning back to Sonya, Britney said: “We were actually thinking of spending the weekend in Phoenix if you wanted to join us Blue.”   
  
“I...I’d like to but...money...you know,” Sonya said sadly. They did all know. The Forge paid their living expenses and gave them all a small stipend so long as they were full-time students but it wasn’t much to live on. What was more their training schedules were so demanding that they didn’t really have the time to pick up a second job if they’d wanted to.   
  
Alexia looked disappointed but recovered quickly as she said: “Well hey, we’ll get you something there and you get a whole weekend without the fembot around!”. ‘Fembot’ or some variation on it was their groups nickname for Britney.   
  
Obviously choosing to ignore this remark, Britney asked: “What will you do this weekend Blue?”   
  
“Umm...I don’t know really,” Sonya said hesitantly. Britney gave her a pitying look before turning to Alexia.   
  
“That mean’s she’s going to stay in the apartment all weekend playing video games or drawing,” she said.    
  
“Nothing wrong with that,” Alexia said with a smile.   
  
“PLEASE promise me you’ll leave the apartment, even for a little while,” Britney begged Sonya.   
  
“But-” Sonya started to say, Britney knew how little Sonya liked going out but she also knew how seriously she took it when she made promises to people.   
  
“Pleaseeeeeeeeee?” Britney cut in. She also knew how had Sonya was at resisting peer pressure.    
  
“I...I guess I do need to go see my sister,” Sonya said with a sigh.   
  
“Perfect! You can tell us all about it on Monday!” Britney said brightly. Before she can add any more her expression soured as the group was joined by Lance Douglas.   
  
“Well hello ladies, please excuse my interruption-” Lance started to say but stopped as Britney glowered at him.   
  
“Nice to see you again Motormouth,” she said with narrowed eyes.   
  
“You know that’s the first time you’ve ever said it was nice to see me? I’m touched!” Lance answered in a flash. Britney glowered at this response but obviously decided to clam up.   
  
“Hey Lance,” Alexia said, speaking in the exact same bright tone that she’d used to say those exact words earlier.   
  
“Hello hello, so which of you woman warriors will be my partner next week?” Lance asked. When the only response he received from the three women were blank looks his eyebrows rose. “You three haven’t heard?” he asked.   
  
“Heard what?” Alexia asked for the group.   
  
“Next week our afternoons will be dedicated to training for a Forge Mixed Tag Tournament,” Lance said excitedly. This drew raised eyebrows from the whole group except for Britney, who was still glowering.   
  
The news was startling to Sonya. She’d spent the previous week training under Yoshihiro Asai, the Ultimo Dragon himself, and had been somewhat unplugged from the rest of the Forge. She knew that some of her classmates had been doing training matches while she was gone but she hadn’t realized things had progressed this far.   
  
“We get to pick our partners?” Alexia asked, suddenly sounding nervous for some reason.   
  
“That’s what it said on the board, you girls can go check it out if you like but when I read it I knew I had to come to find you all if I wanted to win,” Lance said brightly. Alexia giggled at this as Sonya felt suddenly nervous as she always did when complimented, even by implication. “So would any of you three like to team up with the one and only Lance Douglas?” Lance asked.   
  
At this Britney actually snorted and started laughing before she walked away. Sonya, who hated any sort of social awkwardness, was ready to apologize when she saw that Alexia was shooting a dirty look after Britney. Before she could really study it though it had vanished as Alexia said: “I’d love to!”   
  
“Aww yeah! Lance and Lex, L squared. We’ve got this!” Lance said happily as she held up a hand to Alexia which she slapped with a big grin.   
  
“Bloody right we do!” Alexia said eagerly. Lance laughed before turning to Sonya with an apologetic look.   
  
“I feel bad that you’re destined to be a future runner-up Sonya but I’m sure you’ll find someone great,” he said with a big grin. Sonya wasn’t sure how to react to this so she just muttered something and then follow Britney, leaving Alexia and Lance talking happily.   
  
Ever since the WWE had debuted the Mixed Match Challenge, the match format had been red hot in wrestling. It was natural, Sonya supposed, that the PWF and other companies would begin emulating it. Not that anything that happened at the Forge would ever make it the general public, but practicing for when the matches did matter made sense.   
  
This left Sonya with several potential dilemmas however but she told herself not to worry...yet. Making her way out of the main floor she stood in front of the large flatscreen that was the Forge’s main board. Several announcements scrolled past before the one she was looking for appeared. It read:   
  
“Starting next Monday afternoon lessons will be pre-empted for team training sessions in preparation for a mixed tag tournament to take place the following week. The tournament will be open to all students second cycle and above. Students in their first or second cycles will be allowed to enter on a case by case basis as approved by their instructors.”   
  
Sonya gave an internal sigh of relief. Participation in the tournament wasn’t mandatory, she wouldn’t be allowed to enter with permission. Though she’d briefly been intrigued by the idea this feeling had quickly been overwhelmed by her anxiety. She’d made some great strides toward being more assertive lately but she didn’t think she was ready to perform in front of the whole Forge, not yet.     
  
“North,” a familiar voice said from behind her. Stiffening, Sonya turned quickly to find herself facing Gail Kim, the Forge’s head female instructor.   
  
“Ms- errr…” Sonya fumbled. She knew that Kim hated being called ‘Miss Kim’ but Sonya herself wasn’t comfortable using her first name. Kim gave her a look that suggested she knew what had just happened in Sonya’s head but pressed on.   
  
“You should do it North,” she said simply.   
  
“What?” Sonya asked, perplexed. Kim rolled her eyes before answering.   
  
“I know you came here to read about the tournament and I guess you were just relieved to learn that you didn’t have to be part of it,” the instructor said. Sonya was dumbfounded at how perfectly the other woman had just grasped what had gone on in Sonya’s head.   
  
“I...I just don’t think I’m ready,” Sonya said.   
  
“Maybe you aren’t, but I know the woman who marched into Levy’s office and gave him hell wouldn’t think that. And being honest North? I wish I saw more of that woman around,” Kim said before turning and walking away.    
  
Sonya had blushed at first at the mention of her conversation with Scott Levy the day before, it had been the most confrontational of her professional life. But she’d scored a major victory there, she knew it. Maybe Kim had a point, maybe that Sonya should be the one who made the decisions from now on. Maybe she should enter the tournament.    
  
But just as this thought appeared it was gobbled up by the megalodon that was Sonya’s own insecurities. Sonya struggled to speak to anyone about anything most of the time. The idea of having to approach someone and ask them to be her partner was as intimidating to her as being asked to wrestle a bear. Probably more so.    
  
“Why do you have to ruin things for yourself?” she asked herself internally. How many opportunities for fun or advancement would her shyness sabotage for her? But no, that wasn’t right she told herself. Her shyness wasn’t some external entity. She was ruining these things for herself. Unfortunately, this realization didn’t provide her with the additional courage she’d need to actually approach someone. It just made her feel bad.   
  
Glumly, Sonya made her way back toward the locker room. It was about time for her to leave anyway and she thought she might just wait for Britney, her ride today, in the lobby. As she walked, lost in her own thoughts, she very nearly collided with someone. Someone who was about to solve the problem she’d just been feeling melancholy about.    
  
“Sorry I-,” Sonya started to say as she looked up. And the continued to look up and up. When her head was almost fully craned backward she found herself looking up into the wide face of John Crisom. Crisom, the largest person at the Forge, was a fellow member of Sonya’s class though he had originally started in the one above hers. Family matters had forced him to temporarily delay his training and now he was in her class. More immediately he was almost filling the hallway in front of her.   
  
“You’re Sonya North right?” he asked her in a bass rumble that boomed down from almost two feet above Sonya’s own head. Crisom stood 6’10” while Sonya barely topped 5’1”.   
  
“Yes…?” Sonya squeaked, very cognizant of the fact that Crisom could probably squish her with a single paw-like hand.   
  
“Yeah, I thought so. Hey, you got a partner yet for next week?” he asked her.    
  
“No?” Sonya said tentatively, hoping that was the right answer.   
  
“You wanna team up?”   
  
Sonya was so startled by the question that before her mind could catch up she had blurted: “you want to team up with me?”   
  
Crisom looked confused but nodded slowly and said: “Yeah, that’s what I said.”   
  
“Ummm…” was all Sonya managed at first, all the while kicking herself inwardly. Crisom would make an amazing partner and all she had to do to seal the deal was remember how to talk but apparently, that was beyond her at the moment.      
  
“You alright?” Crisom asked with a frown.   
  
“I...I’ll...yes,” Sonya said. She was generally just that articulate around people she didn’t know but Crisom’s enormity was not helping matters either.    
  
“What?” Crisom asked, sounding confused now.    
  
“Stop being an idiot and just talk! He’ll pick someone else if you don’t stop being a dummy!” Sonya snapped at herself internally. Forcing herself to breathe a few times she closed her eyes and then looked up into Crisom’s eyes.   
  
“Yes, I’ll team up with you,” she said, instantly hating how formal she sounded. It was as though Crisom had asked her to a ball.    
  
“Sweet, we should talk more about it tomorrow then,” Crisom said with a smile. Sonya’s first response to this was a kind of high manic laugh that made several people turn to look at her as they passed in the hallway.    
  
After she’d taken another few deep breaths she said in a calmer voice: “yes, that sounds good.”   
  
“You’re a weird lady, I like it,” Crisom said with a grin before he turned and lumbered away. Sonya watched him go for she didn’t know how long before she felt a hand on her shoulder that made her jump.   
  
“Easy!” Alexia said looking startled at the reaction.   
  
“Oh my god….I’m sorry Lex,” Sonya said as she put a hand on her chest.   
  
“Okay…” Alexia said with a frown before jerking her head after Crisom and asking: “...what did he want?”   
  
“I...uh...we’re teaming up in the tournament I guess?” Sonya said, somehow making the declarative statement sound like a question.   
  
“Really?” Alexia asked, sounding honestly surprised. She recovered quickly however and added: “that’s really cool Blue, it’ll be fun competing with you.”   
  
“Yeah,” Sonya said awkwardly. She actually found the idea of maybe having to wrestle Alexia not only uncomfortable but very intimidating. She was so caught up in this that she almost failed to note that Alexia was suddenly looking nervous. She probably would have if Alexia hadn’t suddenly cleared her throat.    
  
“Umm...Blue? Can I ask you a favor?” Alexia said in a tone that sounded much more like one Sonya herself would use and not at all like her own. This shift cut through Sonya’s current mental state and made her take notice.   
  
“Of course Lex, what do you need?”   
  
“I...well...did you know that Lance is a stand-up comedian?” Alexia asked. The question caught Sonya off guard. She hadn’t known this though she supposed it made sense.     
  
“No,” was all she said.   
  
“Well he is and I guess he’s going to be doing a set next monday night at some place called the House of Comedy?” Alexia told her.   
  
“It’s at the Mall of America,” so said automatically.   
  
“OK, well...I was wondering if you’d go with me?” Alexia asked, sounding far more nervous than this request really warranted.   
  
“Uh...are you sure don’t want to ask Noelle or Brit?” Sonya asked, not meaning to be rude but Alexia knew as well as anyone how bad Sonya was in social settings.   
  
“You know how Brit feels about Lance and Noelle...well...can you just go with me?” Alexia asked. Sonya was curious to know what Noelle wasn’t a good choice in this case since she would see to be the obvious one for a night out. Before Sonya could express her hesitation, however, Alexia leaned forward and said: “Please Sonya?”   
  
The urgency of the tone surprised Sonya greatly but the request itself was not in doubt. Sonya struggled to say no to anyone but this went triple for friends. Sighing she said: “Okay Lex I’ll go.”   
  
Before she could do anything else she suddenly found herself being hoisted up into the air while having the wind crushed out of her. Alexia had swept her into a bone-crushing hug and was currently turning from side to side causing Sonya’s feet to wave like a rag doll.   
  
“Oh my god thank you, Sonya!” Alexia said happily into Sonya’s ear. Sonya couldn’t answer right away as she was still trying to find enough breath to do so.    
  
“Lex, can you put me down,” she finally managed to say tentatively.   
  
“Oh god, I’m so sorry Sonya!” Alexia said, dropping Sonya unceremoniously. Fortunately, as a high flyer, Sonya was quite adept at landings and she only took a few quick staggering steps. After assuring Alexia it was alright and then getting another bearhug Sonya finally made into the locker room to change. Fifteen minutes later she found Britney Shane waiting for her in the Forge lobby.    
  
“What took you so long?” Britney asked. Sonya thought about her answer for a bit before shrugging.   
  
“I hate being short,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double chapter release tonight, what can I say? I'm just that energized about this story again.
> 
> This is a new situation for Sonya, she's always had her friends in this story even if she's been too up in her own head to realize it at times. How will she react, even for a short time, without that support system? I realize we've drifted away from actual in-ring action for a while so I look forward to getting us to the mixed tag tournament. You excited for the Crisom-North team?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19: Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya is alone for the weekend and decides to visit her sister, something that could be as tricky as anything in the ring.

Sonya North was reflecting on how funny life changes could be.

 

For much of her life, she’d preferred to spend time alone. She still did. But since she’d begun training at the PWF’s Training and Development Center, the Forge, things had become a bit less clear cut for her. 

 

Since joining the Forge Sonya had made more friends than she had ever had in her life. These included the former MMA fighter Britney Shane, the British professional wrestler Alexia England, and Noelle Foley, the daughter of Mick Foley. It could still surprise Sonya at times when she considered all this. She’d spent so many years as a solitary creature that she sometimes felt she’d forgotten how to have friends.

 

But if she had, none of her current friends had commented on it. Not even Britney, who was also Sonya’s roommate. It was true that Sonya and Britney led mostly separate lives even at home but Sonya was still in much closer contact with the same group of people than she ever had been. An odd thing for someone who had always been so solitary. What was even more strange was now that she faced the prospect of a weekend entirely to herself she was feeling a sense of dislocation. This even despite the fact that she’d often wished for this very thing over the last few weeks. 

 

Sonya’s friends had all flown from the Twin Cities, the location of the Forge, to Phoenix late on Thursday. All three had been told to appear on the PWFs Friday show, Omega. Britney and Alexia playing ‘bodyguards’ for the Omega Women’s Champion Mona Salama on TV. Both women had been picked simply because they were physically imposing and unlikely to be recognized. Both were extremely excited to make their TV debut so soon, even if anonymously.

 

Noelle was also headed to Phoenix though she was less excited about why. Noelle’s father was the legendary Mick Foley. It seemed that the PWF had convinced him to make an appearance on PWF TV and they had thought it might benefit them to have Noelle there as well. Noelle loved her father and would be happy to see him, it was the reason why that had bothered her. Noelle’s deepest fear was that all her successes in life were a result of her last name and not her efforts.

 

Sonya had wished them all well and had gotten a real thrill from watching Omega that night. Britney and Alexia had looked very intimidating in matching dark suits and black sunglasses. Noelle had been her usual charming and charismatic self in her brief TV spot with her father. Sonya might have been expected to feel some twinge of jealousy at this, but she hadn’t. 

 

First, jealousy was not something that made up any large part of her character. Second, one of her instructors at the Forge, Lisa Varon, had spoken to her about this very issue no doubt worried about the possibility of jealousy. But to Sonya, her reasons had made perfect sense. Not only did Sonya simply fit any of the needs that her friends were filling but she was also a VERY memorable person physically. This happened when you had long royal blue hair.

 

“You’re good North, be patient and work hard and you’ll be there sooner than later,” Varon had said reassuringly before leaving Sonya with a small glow in her stomach.

 

But now, Sonya was actually wondering what to do. She’d grown used to having Britney and her frenetic activity around the apartment, even if it occasionally bothered her. Even when Britney wasn’t around Sonya had been comforted by the idea that Noelle or Alexia was only a text away, even if she never sent that text. Now she had to figure out what to do with herself as her friends had decided to spend the weekend in Phoenix.

 

In the end, Sonya had decided to go visit her sister. If she was perfectly honest with herself, she would have been much more comfortable wrestling. Really, she’d have been more comfortable doing almost anything than making one of her semi-regular visits to see her sister. But a combination of guilt and obligation kept Sonya coming back. And so she made the drive from where she lived in St. Paul proper to Falcon Heights, a small community nestled in northwestern St. Paul.

 

There, in a neighborhood that fronted onto one of the area’s many lakes, she found the house she’d grown up in. In her happier memories, she remembered the squat structure’s tan walls gleaming in the summer sun. Her mother’s perfectly maintained flower beds under the windows and the large oak tree in the front yard. Now...things were different. 

 

When Sonya’s mother had died many years ago, the house had gone to her older sister: Skye. Sonya had received her current car. But whereas Sonya had lovingly maintained the vehicle not just as a practical matter but also as a reminder of her parents, Skye had neglected the house. Now the formerly pristine walls were cracked, one shudder was actually hanging from its lower bracket, and the tree was dead. Had it spring or summer Sonya knew she would have seen the flower beds overgrown with weeds and a lawn that was only rarely cut.

 

It made Sonya sadder then she could say to see her home like this. But she knew what lay inside would make her sadder still. Cradling her paper grocery bag in her arms as she transferred her purse to her opposite shoulder Sonya bypassed the doorbell, which she knew didn’t work anyway and rapped hard on the door. A door that had once been painted bright red and was now a faded and cracked brown.

 

After a long delay which Sonya had expected she heard a voice ask from inside: “What do you want?”

 

“It’s me, Skye,” Sonya said, trying to force some cheerfulness in her voice. She’d privately resolved to try to imitate Noelle while she was here. She hoped by doing so, Noelle being the most sociable person she’d known, she might make the visit a little less awkward. 

 

There was another very long pause before she heard a chain and deadbolt on the other side of the door. Knowing this was the only response she’d get Sonya opened the door and stepped into the dim interior. The door opened into a short hallway with a staircase that led up to a pair of bedrooms. She bypassed this and turned left into the small living room where she found her sister sitting on a couch and staring suspiciously at her. 

 

“Did you bring me anything?” Skye asked sharply as she glared at Sonya through hooded eyes. As she did she raised shaking hands to her mouth and struggled to light a cigarette clamped between her teeth. Sonya had to fight hard not to frown at this, as she always had to when her sister smoked here. Their parents had despised the habit and would never have allowed it.

 

“ _ Remember, like Noelle,”  _ she reminded herself silently.

 

“Of course, I got eggs, milk, some bread, and a few other things for you,” Sonya said in her forced cheerful voice.

 

“That’s it?” Skye asked sounding annoyed.

 

“Yeah, you said you needed some food on the phone…” Sonya said, back in her own natural voice due to her confusion.

 

“Yeah some FOOD. Not this lame shit, you think I got time to cook?” Skye snapped. Truthfully, Sonya had assumed that YES she had time. But she didn’t bring this up.

 

“I’m sorry, I’ll just put this in the kitchen,” Sonya said in a voice that was somehow halfway between her usual one and her fake ‘Noelle’ one.

 

“Whatever, just don’t touch my stuff,” Skye called after her as Sonya set her purse down and then stepped through the doorway that linked the living room to the kitchen. She found the later to be no cleaner than the rest of the house. There wasn’t a single surface that didn’t have old food wrappers or drink containers on it. There was an overflowing ashtray on the table and a pile of garbage that Sonya assumed concealed a trash can.

 

Opening the refrigerator Sonya actually winced at the smell. Some food had obviously gone bad among the many half-eaten meals stacked on the shelves. Aside from these, the fridge was bare save for a few bottles of wine and some bottles that were labeled ‘juice cleanse’. Sonya was puzzled to find room for the thing’s she’d brought but after some stacking she managed to cram it all in. When she had closed the door she turned and found Skye standing in the doorway.

 

“Hand me the white bottle,” her sister demanded. Sonya blinked once before she bent down and opened the door once more. Taking hold of the bottle she almost sighed when she saw that it was rum. She thought for half a moment about refusing but she knew that would just lead to Skye throwing her out and then she’d drink anyway. After Skye had her bottle she turned and walked back into the living room without another word, Sonya walking slowly behind her.

 

Sonya’s sister was five years older than her and throughout Sonya’s childhood had been her idol. Skye was much taller than Sonya and had once been very beautiful. As a child and through high school Skye had been a high achiever in all things, constantly casting her shy and mouselike sister in a deep shadow. All this had changed with their parent’s passing.

 

Both Sonya and Skye had inherited their more than usual anxiety from their parents, though throughout her childhood Sonya hadn’t realized that Skye suffered from it. But then their father had died from a stroke while she was in wrestling school, and their mother had killed herself shortly afterward out of grief. Both girls had been devastated but while Sonya had more or less continued along on her path, Skye had collapsed.

 

Sonya hadn’t known how much Skye had relied on their mother as a support system. Without her, Skye had left her job in IT and had retreated from the world. Now she only left the house to go to work during those times when she actually had a job. She usually only kept one long enough to qualify for unemployment and then got herself fired only to repeat the cycle when the unemployment ran out. 

 

Sonya would normally have been full of nothing by sympathy for someone who struggled even more with anxiety than she herself did. But Skye made it very hard to feel sorry for her. She firmly believed that everything that had happened to her was the world's fault, not hers. She even occasionally blamed Sonya. This hurt Sonya badly because she knew hadn’t been as solicitous as she should have been after their mother’s death, she’d been wrapped up in her own grief.

 

Whenever Skye got fired it was never because she missed shifts or showed up late. It was always because her boss hated her. The house was falling apart because contractors were trying to scam her or they never called her back, not because Skye wasn’t maintaining it. In all these cases she could also always blame Sonya for not helping, but she only did this when she wanted something.

 

“So...have you sold any paintings?” Sonya asked, remembering to channel Noelle as she did. She was now sitting on the sofa next to Skye’s.

 

“No...bastards. It’s so fucking political in art now, no one cares about how good you are,” Skye complained before drinking from her bottle. It was barely 10:30 in the morning and Sonya sincerely doubted that this was the first drink Skye had taken. 

 

Sonya’s sister called herself an artist these days, and at one time Skye had painted in a way that could make Sonya breathless. But her recent work, at least what Sonya had seen, had become dark and brooding to the point of that it could make Sonya uncomfortable. She wasn’t surprised people weren’t rushing to buy it on those grounds alone. Combine that with the fact that the artist wasn’t willing to do anything to try and boost her profile and you had Skye’s current situation.

 

“I’m sure you will soon, you’re really good,” Sonya said with a broad smile on her face. Skye’s response to this was to narrow her eyes.

 

“What’s wrong with you? You’re acting weird,” she said. Sonya swallowed while trying to keep her smile in place.

 

“Nothing, I’m just trying to be supportive-” Sonya started to say when Skye cut her off angrily.

 

“Don’t you date be condescending to me Sonya! What? You think you’re better than me because you’re a fucking big time wrestler now?” she snapped.

 

“No! No! I just...I just wanted to encourage you,” Sonya said in a voice that was almost a yelp. She knew how prone her sister was to blow ups so she was very relieved when Skye seemed to accept this.

 

“So...are you on TV or something?” she asked grudgingly. The question, and even more the abrupt change of tone, caught Sonya off guard.

 

“Ummm...no, but I maybe will be someday. My friends were on TV yesterday,” Sonya said the last with a real smile remembering how she’d spent the previous evening.

 

“But not you?” Skye asked in a harsh tone that brought Sonya crashing back to reality.

 

“No...I-” Sonya started to say but again she got cut off. 

 

“You gotta get a real job Sonya, somewhere where they will respect you,” Skye said in a firm voice as though this ended the matter. 

 

“I...work for one of the biggest wrestling companies in the world Skye...this is as real as it gets,” Sonya explained.

 

“Yet they don’t value as much as your friends? Sounds great, you’ve always been a doormat I guess,” Skye said dismissively. This cut Sonya deeply, Skye was very good at that, but she didn’t say anything. When Skye didn’t either the silence began to stretch uncomfortably.

 

“So...are you still seeing Dr. Hudson?” Sonya eventually asked, referring to the last psychologist that Skye had been seeing.

 

“No, she was full of crap. Kept trying to force me to be more ‘normal’. Really inspiring advice from a shrink: ‘just change everything about yourself’,” Skye said scathingly. Sonya, who also saw Dr. Hudson, very much doubted the doctor had suggested any such thing. But Skye went through shrinks like she did jobs, all Sonya could do was to keep suggesting new ones.

 

“I’m sorry that happened, hopefully, you’ll find someone who you like,” Sonya said, trying to be encouraging again.

 

“Nah, it’s pointless. They keep trying to ‘fix’ me, but I’m not broken I’m just different,” Skye said with a dismissive wave. Sonya bit her lip but again didn’t say what she was thinking. Skye didn’t seem to want to acknowledge that she was both different AND broken.  

 

“Okay, well...I…” Sonya trailed off here mostly because she was not at all sure what to say but also because Skye wasn’t paying attention. Her sister was staring out the dirty window obviously lost in abstraction. Sonya waited for almost a minute but Skye still didn’t move or speak. She was on the point of asking if something was wrong when her sister stirred.

 

“Sonya…” she said in a tone very different than any she’d used so far that day. It was a far gentler and more human voice. Much closer to the one Sonya remembered from her childhood. 

 

“Yes?” Sonya asked tentatively, she didn’t want to do or say anything to break the mood.

 

“Did you know that a few days ago it was five years exactly from when mom died?” Skye asked, her voice now impossibly sad. It cut right to Sonya’s own heart, who had in fact forgotten this. But she forced herself to focus on the present, the alternative would be her sinking into guilt. Skye hadn’t reached out like this to her, or anyone probably, for years and Sonya couldn’t afford to let the moment pass.

 

“I miss her so much,” was what Sonya said in response.

 

“Me too...me too…” Skye said as she continued to stare out the window. Sonya stood then and moved to sit next to Skye. When she did she took her sister in her arms and hugged her. Skye stiffened at first but then leaned into the contact. Sonya was simultaneously sad and thrilled, she and her sister hadn’t hugged like this in years. It felt really good.

 

“I...I’ve missed you too,” Sonya said into Skye’s shoulder. Her sister only nodded in reply. They held each other for a very long time before Skye broke the silence.

 

“I’m sorry Sonya, I know...I know I’ve been hard on you and that mom and dad would hate how I am,” she said.

 

“No! No...they loved you so much. They’d just want to help just like I do,”  Sonya assured her quickly.

 

“Thanks, Sone,” Skye whispered as she squeezed Sonya a little tighter.

 

“I want you to be happy Skye, just tell me how I can help,” Sonya said, trying not to let her eagerness reach her voice. Skye never talked or acted like this and Sonya was desperate to take advantage.

 

“I know…” Skye said softly as she pulled back and held Sonya at arm's length as she studied her younger sister before adding: “...dad would be so proud of you.”

 

Tears formed in Sonya’s eyes at this. Sonya had always been closer to their father than Skye had been. Michael North had been the one member of the family that had always encouraged Sonya in her wrestling dreams. One of the last things he’d said to her was to encourage her to keep going with them. His loss had left a huge void in Sonya’s life that would never be filled. 

 

“I miss him too,” Sonya said with a sniffle.

 

“I know Sone,” Skye said as they hugged again. They stayed like that for a very long time but even when they separated Sonya didn’t go back to her couch. They sat and talked about their parents in a way they never had before. Afterword, they worked together and made some progress on cleaning the kitchen. Sonya would have stayed all day but Skye told her she was feeling motivated to paint and Sonya didn’t want to stand in the way. So she asked Skye if she could use the bathroom and when she returned found her sister for at the front door holding Sonya’s purse which she handed over with a small smile.

 

“I’m sorry I was such a bitch earlier, thank you for the food,” Skye said.

 

“It’s OK, I should have asked what you wanted,” Sonya said with a smile.

 

“That’s Sonya,” Skye said with a small smile as she hugged Sonya once more.

 

“That’s me,” Sonya agreed softly.

 

“But I love you for it sis,” Skye said as she stepped back and added: “You should come over more often or maybe...I could see yours?”. Sonya’s eyes almost bugged out of her head at this, Skye had never seen Sonya’s apartment.

 

“Yeah, that would be great. You can meet Britney too then,” Sonya said happily.

 

“Yeah, let’s do it,” Skye said as she opened the door for Sonya.

 

“I’ll text you OK?” Sonya said as she turned on the doorstep to face her sister.

 

“Please do,” Skye said before she shut the door.

 

Sonya made her way back to her car happier than she’d been for a very long time. This mood lasted through her drive home and through her arrival in her apartment. It was only when she set her purse on the table and began to dig in it that she realized something was wrong. Before she’d gone to see her sister she’d stopped at the bank to withdraw some cash, her Forge stipend having been deposited the day before.

 

When she withdrew the envelope she’d put the cash in she was startled by how thin it felt. Opening it she withdrew the cash and counted it, and then counted it again and then once more. She’d withdrawn three hundred dollars in fifties and twenties, she now had less than one hundred. Her mind went blank for a moment as she tried to figure out what had happened. 

 

She dug furiously in her purse, wondering if it had somehow fallen out. As she did her hand brushed the bottle holding her antidepressants, as it did the bottle gave a rattling sound that wasn’t right. Taking the bottle out she looked at it and saw that many of the pills that had begun the day in the bottle were now gone. As she stared incredulously at the bottle the horrible reality hit her. There was really only one thing that could have happened, her purse had only been out of her sight twice.

 

Tears formed in Sonya’s eyes for the second time that day. She supposed she should have been angry but all she felt was sadness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really rolling on the Blue Moon series lately, and it feels so damn good. Sonya is obviously near and dear to my heart but it's more than that. She has a story that I feel NEEDS to be told.
> 
> If you liked what you saw I'd be honored if you would leave a kudo, a comment, or especially a bookmark!
> 
> What did everyone think of today's chapter? Sonya's backstory has been something I haven't done enough justice too but I hope this helps to flesh her out. Family can be so complicated but I think Sonya's relationship with Skye can explain a lot about her acts and thinks.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20: Big things to Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya returns to the Forge to begin preparing for the tournament.

Sonya had been wondering if she ought to tell Britney Shane about what had happened with her sister. Britney was her roommate and, more importantly, best friend and maybe that meant Sonya should confide in her. But it still felt weird to discuss what had happened with anyone. As it happened, the decision was taken out of her hands.

 

“What’s wrong Sonya?” Britney asked on the evening after Sonya had met with Skye. Britney had just arrived back in town herself a few hours before after a successful foray onto PWF TV. Sonya had been watching was it happened and had been thrilled at the time to see Britney and her other friend Alexia England acting as storyline bodyguards for Mona Salama. Britney herself had come back full of enthusiasm and excitement over the occasion.

 

But Sonya’s meeting with her sister and her subsequent discoveries had kicked most of her enthusiasm out of her. She’d done her best to be excited for Britney, and she really did want to be, but it was very hard for her right now. Even if Sonya had been a much better actress than she was, Britney knew her too well to be fooled by any pretense.

 

“What do you mean?” Sonya asked Britney automatically. Britney gave her a pitying look at this.

 

“Sonya, are you really going to make me drag this out of you?” Britney asked. Sonya bit her lip, another automatic denial dying on her lips.

 

“I…” was all she managed to say. Britney didn’t say anything else at this but just climbed over the couch and sat cross-legged next to Sonya.

 

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but if you do I’m here and ready to listen,” Britney said with a smile as she put a hand on Sonya’s arm.

 

Once again it was on the tip of Sonya’s tongue to deny everything. One consequence of her years of mostly solitary existence had been that she wasn’t in the habit of sharing her feelings with anyone. This was partially due to not having the option but also because she was always concerned about the effect it might have. Like a freezing woman might cling to her last scraps of clothing, Sonya had been desperate to cling to anyone who might be her friend.

 

So she’d spent years so desperate to please that it had devolved into appeasement. Not that the strategy had ever worked to any real degree. Sonya had never had real friends as an adult, not really. Sure she’d had people she liked and maybe who liked her in turn but no one who she would have depended on to help her change a tire late at night, never mind feel comfortable burdening with her personal problems. But recently this had changed, specifically when Britney, Alexia, and Noelle had come into her life.

 

So now maybe it was time to unlearn some old habits. Looking down at her hands Sonya relayed to Britney the events with Skye from the previous day. She’d been concerned that Britney, given her fighters instincts and temperament, might fly off the handle. That her friend might spring to her feet and hurry to Skye’s house with every intention of demanding the money and pills back. But Britney surprised her...but in the best way. Instead of running off in search of her gloves and kick pads, Britney simply nodded slowly with a sad expression on her face.

 

“Sonya, I’m so sorry,” was all she said as she bent forward and hugged Sonya. At first, Sonya just let it happen but in a blink, she was returning the gesture. For a moment she thought she might cry but she found that Britney’s presence was enough to forestall this. Sonya just lost herself in the comfort of the gesture and closed her eyes. But, eventually, she was the one who pulled back.

 

“Thank you, Britney.” was all she said. After this, they didn’t actually discuss the issue again for the rest of the day. But it was somehow understood that if Sonya had wanted to, Britney would have been happy to oblige her. The continued to observe this unspoken agreement the next morning and throughout their trip to the Forge, instead, they chose to talk about other things.

 

When they arrived at the Forge they met their friends and when the subject of what Sonya had done with her weekend to herself had come up, Britney had tensed. But Sonya had already decided that if she was going, to be honest with Britney then she should be with Noelle and Alexia. So before they began their day’s training she explained what had happened with Skye. If she’d been surprised by how Britney had reacted to the news, Noelle and Alexia behaved almost exactly as she would have expected. Noelle looked horrified and began to bombard Sonya with questions. Alexia looked concerned and wrapped Sonya up in a hug.

 

Sonya answered as many of Noelle’s questions as she could but classes were beginning and there was only so much time. After promising to tell them more at lunch, she and her friends all made their way out to the main floor where they met two of their instructors: Allen Sarven and Nora Benshoof.

 

Sarven was better known as ‘Al Snow’, a name he’d carried through more promotions than Sonya could remember. He’d been an ECW original and had had a very successful run in the WWE. Nore Benshoof was better known as ‘Molly Holly’ and was widely considered one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time. Sarven was one of the mat instructors at the Forge while Benshoof was part time but liked to check in on the female trainees specifically.

 

“North! I’m glad you’re here, go with Nora to ring four please,” Sarven said by way of greeting. Sonya felt a quick twist of anxiety in her stomach as she looked quickly to her friends who returned glances that made clear that had no idea what was going on.

 

“Relax honey, it’s going to be OK. I just wanted to see a few things,” Benshoof said as she smiled and waved Sonya toward the indicated ring.

 

There five rings on the main floor, ring four was the only six-sided version. The type had been made popular by TNA in its early days. Looking up at the ring as she walked Sonya saw that another student was already waiting between the ropes. She didn’t know the other woman’s name but she felt like she’d seen her around the Forge several times before now.

 

“Danielle, come here please,” Benshoof called to the other student who nodded and walked over to the ropes as Sonya approached. Turning to Sonya Benshoof made introductions: “Sonya North, this is Danielle Williams, Danielle this is Sonya. Danielle is in her final cycle and should be in Protege pretty soon,” she said the last to Sonya who looked up at the woman in the ring with a look of mixed awe and respect.

 

Williams was a few inches taller than Sonya though much more solidly built. She had long dark hair and tanned skin with extremely striking eyes. They were the color of emeralds and seemed to be slightly larger than normal when they riveted on Sonya she felt as though she were standing in a spotlight.

 

“Nice to meet you,” Williams said. Sonya just gave a jerky nod, not trusting herself to speak.

 

“Up into the ring North,” Benshoof said as she waved Sonya toward the steps. Swallowing, Sonya complied and a moment later she found herself standing a few feet from Williams who, in turn, sized her up. After a few seconds she a gave whose meaning was unclear.

 

“Umm, what did you want me to do?” Sonya asked hesitantly as she looked down at Benshoof.

 

“I want you and Williams to have a match, I’m very curious to see how you do in the hexagon ring,” Benshoof explained. Sonya swallowed again as she turned to face Williams who was moving off toward the opposite side of the ring.

 

“Uh, did you want to plan this a bit?” Sonya suggested.

 

“Nah, we’ll improvise. I’ve heard all about the rookie sensation and I want to see it up close too,” Williams called back as she bent down to check her knee pads. Had Sonya been less nervous she might noticed the compliment in these words. Instead, she shot one last nervous glance at Benshoof, who gave her an encouraging smile, before moving to a corner and standing nervously. She’d already stretched out but she wasn’t sure she was ready for a match.

 

“You need any time to warm up?” Benshoof asked from below and beside her.

 

“N-No,” Sonya squeaked. Williams gave her a quizzical look but shrugged as she kept stretching.

 

“I’ll give you two ten minutes, make it count,” Benshoof said as she blew the whistle that was hanging around her neck.

 

Williams had apparently been waiting for this as she hurried across the ring with her fists up in a stance that looked more like that of a boxer than a wrestler. Sonya, eyes wide, half crouched as she usually did in the ring. This partially because it allowed her to spring more easily but also because it made it more difficult for people to hit her if she was an even smaller target than usual. Williams didn’t seem to be worried however as she kept closing the distance.

 

When she was just outside of arms reach, Sonya simply dove and rolled to one side, coming up a few feet from her opponent. Williams was fast though, she was almost on Sonya by the time she’d come out of the roll. This forced Sonya to dodge once more as she hopped toward the center of the ring. She was finding the unfamiliar geography of the hexagon ring a bit disorienting. In a four-sided ring, she was used to being able to draw her opponents into a corner before flitting out of the way. Now there seemed to be shallow corners everywhere, none of which offered a good place to retreat to.

 

Realizing this, Sonya decided that the best move would be to go on the offensive. Popping up onto top turnbuckle nearest to her, she turned and found that Danielle was almost one her. In fact, in order to avoid being tossed from her perch, she had to escape. Without thinking about it Sonya took three hurried steps out onto the ropes, she knew she wasn’t balanced correctly but it didn’t matter because before she could begin tipping she hopped the final few feet to the next turnbuckle.

 

Williams was looking like she’d just seen a ghost as Sonya, out of reflex, sprang off the turnbuckle and connected on a missile dropkick that drove the other woman back into the ropes. Williams managed to catch herself but before she could regain her feet, Sonya was on hers and running toward another turnbuckle. She felt Williams coming as much as she heard it, the ring was vibrating, and taking a quick gamble Sonya leapt at the ropes, clung for an instant, and sent herself soaring backward in a praying lionsault.

 

She’d guessed correctly, she hit Williams when she was almost perfectly perpendicular with the mat. They both went down in a heap as the canvas gave it’s familiar clattering rumble. Sonya had learned through painful experience that even though she’d hit her move she needed to move quickly. Britney had shown her that if she spent too much time on top of a larger opponent in the PWF, she’d get tied up.

 

It was fortunate that she made this decision because she factually felt Williams’ hand scrape down her back as the other woman tried futilely to seize her shit. This time she ran at the ropes, and came off them only to find Williams had found her own feet and was waiting for her. Sonya ducked under an attempted lariat and headed toward another set of ropes. She’d sensed that Williams was now chasing her toward the ropes rather than waiting for her so she changed her tactic.

 

Rather than attempting to rebound off the ropes she seized the second and third ropes and swung her lower body through and back around in a half circle. The move was called a tiger feint kick and had been popularized as the ‘619’ by Rey Mysterio. Whatever you called it, her legs caught Williams in the abdomen with enough force to send her staggering.

 

Now suspended awkwardly with her chest, shoulders, and head between the ropes Sonya decided to try something fancy. Seizing the third rope and clenching her abdominal muscles for all they were worth, Sonya raised her legs up and over the top rope, the motion causing her upper body to rotate after her lower. She ended up standing on the apron facing an oncoming Williams. The woman was looking decidedly frustrated but also determined.

 

Sonya knew she had a second or two before she got clobbered so she sprung up onto the third rope once more and flung herself over Williams, landing on her feet three quarters of the way across the ring.  She turned to find that Williams was once again hurtling toward her. This time, however, the other woman was too close for Sonya to escape. So, instead, she jumped straight up, rotating along both her X and Y axis as she did. She hit Williams with a spinning back kick the sent her down the mat, a move Sonya called ‘starstruck’.

 

If Sonya hadn’t been so preoccupied she would have noticed that her performance was drawing an audience. A crowd of students and even several instructors were standing around the ring and watching. Sonya knew nothing of this as she’d already begun to move again. Running along the ropes she took a leaping step upon to the second rope and then onto a top turnbuckle. Looking to one side she saw that Williams had learned her lesson and had retreated to the far side of the ring.

 

“Come on Danielle! You going to let a rookie do that to you?” man standing beside the ring called to Williams.

 

“You get in here and try catching her!” Williams snarled as she began approaching Sonya cautiously. For her part, Sonya hadn’t come down off the top turnbuckle but just watched as Williams come onward. When her opponent was about halfway across the ring, Sonya decided to change the situation. Holding her arms out she walked as quickly as she could along the top rope to another turnbuckle, keeping the distance between her and Williams. As she did, several members of the crowd gave a low impressed mutter.

 

Unfortunately, even moving as fast as she could she still couldn’t move that fast along the ropes. By the time she reached her new destination, Williams was on her. Sonya saw the other woman reaching for her ankles and knew she had a heartbeat to escape. Out of reflex she bent down and tried to fend off the other woman with her hands but she ended up overbalancing and tipping forward. She ended up with both feet on the turnbuckle and her hands on Williams’ shoulders.

 

“I got you now!” Williams barked. The situation was an awkward one, Sonya was in a very vulnerable situation. Without even having a clear intent she just pushed off from the turnbuckle with both feet, much harder than she’d actually intended. She’d been thinking she might simply try to somersault over the other woman, instead, she ended up in the somewhat ridiculous position of doing a handstand on Williams’ shoulders for a second  before falling forward. As soon as her feet hit the mat she skipped forward a few steps to get out of arms reach.

 

“Alright! Enough!” Benshoof called from where she’d been standing. She had to speak louder than normal because many of the assembled of students had been laughing at the last exchange. A moment later she was in the ring standing between Williams and Sonya. For her part, Williams had a complex expression on her face that mixed awe, embarrassment, and confusion.

 

“You’re really hard to stay away from,” Sonya told her with a nervous grin. Williams didn’t acknowledge her which diminished Sonya’s smile.

 

“Alright, I think I’ve seen enough,” Benshoof told them as she waved Sonya out of the ring. It was only when she turned, somewhat deflated, toward the ropes that Sonya finally noticed her audience. No less than twenty students and four instructors had been watching the impromptu match, which couldn’t have lasted more than five minutes.

 

Sonya stopped her tracks when she saw them all there, unsure how to proceed. Her innate shyness was asserting itself now and she could feel a flush building behind her cheeks. She was just wondering how she could sneak out of the ring when the clapping started. It began somewhere at the back of the crowd but then spread quickly. It took Sonya several long moments to realize they were clapping for her.

 

This set her cheeks burning worse than before as she looked reflexively down at her feet. Then she felt someone take her wrist, looking over she saw that it was Williams. The other woman was standing beside her and before Sonya could react she had raised Sonya’s hand over her head, as though she’d just won a match. Which, everyone but Sonya knew she had.

 

“You are amazing North, I really hope I never have to wrestle you when it counts,” Williams told her. Sonya couldn’t think of anything to say to this so just nodded. Williams didn’t seem to expect an answer as she just let Sonya’s hand drop and trudged out of the ring where she was met by a group of students whom Sonya assumed were her friends.

 

She was wondering how long she was supposed to stand in the ring letting people clap for her when she was hit from behind. Before she could realize what was happening she found herself engulfed in a hug from both Noelle and Britney.

 

“Holy SHIT girl, you’re freaking amazing!” Noelle shrieked.

 

“It’s so nice to see someone else struggling to catch her for a change!” Britney said.

 

“Right?” Alexia asked happily as she joined then, though Sonya was thankful that she elected not to join the hug. Alexia was very strong and Sonya was already feeling the breath being squeezed out of her.

 

“You know who you just made look silly right?” Noelle asked her as she released Sonya and moved to stand in front of her.

 

“Noelle!” Sonya said quickly, she shot a look around to see where Williams was standing but was relieved to see that she had walked away.

 

“Oh, whatever Blue, she knows it’s true. That was Danielle Williams, you know? DANGERS Danielle Williams? She’s Protege bound for sure!” Noelle explained happily.

 

“Not dangerous to our Blue!” Britney laughed. Sonya was blushing furiously now as she avoided everyone’s eyes. Fortunately, her friends had seemingly decided that was enough embarrassing her so they joined her in exiting the ring.

 

When they reached the floor Sonya heard Lance Douglas say: “Dang, hey Alexia? Is it too late for me to ask Sonya to team up with me?”

 

“You are such an asshole!” Alexia laughed.

 

“Sometimes.”

 

“Are you teaming with anyone Britney?” Sonya asked she hadn’t spoken to Britney or Noelle about the upcoming tournament yet.

 

“I am, but it’s a secret,” Britney said with a grin.

 

“She’s teaming with Kim,” Noelle said with a roll of her eyes.

 

“Well it WAS a secret,” Britney shot back at Noelle. Sonya knew that she had to intervene here or they’d go at each other for minutes on end.

 

“What about you Noelle?” she asked.

 

“Maybe, mine actually IS a surprise,” Noelle said with a wink.

 

“I’m so finding out who it is just so I can blab it,” Britney told her sourly.

 

“Good luck with that,” Noelle told her with a sweet smile. Alexia, no doubt sensing the same thing Sonya had, stepped in.

 

“Sonya is teaming with John,” she said with a big grin. This brought both Noelle and Britney up short as they gaped at Sonya.

 

“Really?” Britney asked.

 

“Yeah…” Sonya said hesitantly. She wasn’t sure what Britney was surprised by.

 

“So, you asked someone?” Noelle asked.

 

“Well...no he asked me,” Sonya explained.

 

“But you said yes?” Noelle pressed.

 

“Yeah...why?” Sonya asked, now simply confused.

 

“Nothing, it’s great, I’m just pleasantly surprised is all. I was worried you’d sit on the sidelines because you wouldn’t ask anyone,” Noelle explained. Both Britney and Alexia nodded their agreement to this statement. Before Sonya could answer several of the instructors began shouting for all the students to get back to their work.

 

For Sonya, this meant joining a small group of her classmates at one of the other rings where Ken Shamrock was teaching them some impressive looking counters to various maneuvers. As it happened, one of the other people in this group was John Crisom and both of them were standing toward the back of the group.

 

“That was fucking dope this morning,” Crisom whispered to Sonya, having to bend nearly double to do so.

 

“Thanks,” Sonya said, blushing. She was terrible at taking compliments.

 

“If you can do that in the tournament I think we go this shit, I’ll just try not to slow you down,” Crisom rumbled softly at her as he extended his fist toward her. Sonya stared at it for a moment, confused by what he wanted while also noting that his hand was almost the size of her head. Then comprehension dawned and she tapped his fist with her own.

 

“Deal,” she said.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!
> 
> I love Sonya so much and writing her is such a treat. I just hope you all are having as much fun as I am. If you are please consider leaving a comment or a kudo!
> 
> What did you guys think of this one? It's so Sonya that she was worried her friends might not have her back, but it's always gratifying when they do right? And damn she's a blur in the ring! Who do you like in the upcoming tournament?


	21. Chapter 21: Growing and Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya and John Crisom are working hard to prepare for the tournament, but Sonya has a commitment with Alexia to take care of first.

Sonya North hit the mat yet again with a clattering sound. The noise echoed eerily around empty gymnasium as she picked herself back up.

 

“That one is dope, I like number three,” John Crisom told her as he held out a cannonball sized hand to her.

 

Sonya took it and let him engulf her own hand as he pulled her up before saying: “Well it’s better than number four definitely.”

 

“What’s wrong with four?” 

 

Sonya bit her lip as she thought furiously. She didn’t know Crisom very well yet and, in any case, she wasn’t even comfortable criticizing her closest friends. On the other hand, she’d been getting better about speaking up for herself lately so maybe now as another chance?

 

“It’s just not my favorite,” she ended up saying, lamely.

 

“Alright, we’ve still got three though,” Crisom said as he moved to the corner once more and asked: Want to go again?”

 

Sonya looked up at the clock on the gym wall and held an internal debate. She had to meet Alexia in about two hours and she still needed to shower and change. But she was also enjoying herself immensely. She thought for a few more moments before saying: “Okay, just a few more though.”

 

“Cool, what do you think? Number one?”

 

“Yeah, we can just go through them again,” Sonya said with a happy nod.

 

She and Crisom had agreed to be partners in the Forge’s upcoming mixed tag tournament several days before. Since then they’d had two sit down meetings to discuss their strategies for the upcoming event but hadn’t yet gotten in any direct practice in together. They’d been reluctant to try and do so at the Forge itself because they would be under the eyes of their fellow students, and thus their competition.

 

Fortunately, Sonya was a native to St. Paul where the Forge was located. She’d begun in the wrestling industry wrestling for local promotions and she still maintained friendships with several of the promoters. She’d simply looked if any of them had shows on back to back days that weekend then asked if she could use the ring to train. They’d been at it for two hours now.

 

Both Sonya and Crisom knew that quite apart from who won the tournament there was another reason for them to be at their best. The instructors at the Forge had organized this tournament and would obviously be watching its results keenly. If they did well they would certainly do themselves a lot of favors, conversely if they poorly it could set them back disastrously.

 

In an effort to try and wow their audience both Sonya and Crisom had agreed that they should develop some new double teams to use in the tournament. These had tended, naturally, to center around the fact that Sonya was 5’1” on a good day and Crimson stood 6’10”. There were a lot of possibilities if they were only creative enough. Sonya felt they had been.

 

“Alright, number one, go!” Crisom said. With that, Sonya tagged his outstretched hand which would bring him into the match. At this point, Sonya’s opponent would then be obligated to move to tag her male partner in. But Crisom, who had entered the ring immediately tagged Sonya again, sending the hypothetical match back to the women. 

 

He then turned to face the corner with Sonya standing between him and the then turnbuckle. He then cupped his hands and held them low, whereupon Sonya stepped forward onto them. Her feet were so small and his hands so large that she could stand comfortably in his palms. Crisom then heaved upwards Sending Sonya up and over his head. 

 

Her stomach a lurched as she went but at the right moment, Sonya sprang. This, plus the added momentum from Crisom, sent her high into the air. At the apex of her leap, she tucked herself into a ball and began rotating. In a real match, she could complete this movement into a 630 splash. Since there was no opponent at this moment she just landed on her feet.

 

“How did that feel?” Crisom asked.

 

“Your hands are shaking right now, it could send me in the wrong direction,” Sonya offered.

 

Next came number two. This involved the same tag sequence as before. But now Crisom moved to stand in front of the ropes to the right of the turnbuckle. Sonya then hopped up onto this, walked out the ropes until she was behind him and then put her hands on his shoulders. Using her arms and the ropes to boost herself she leapfrogged over him and then land in front of him. Had this been a real match with an opponent she would have either landed a leg drop or splash. 

 

Finally came number three, the most difficult by far. Following their tag sequence, Sonya then hopped up on the turnbuckle and waited for Crimson to position himself in front of her. He then crouched and Sonya, putting her hands on his shoulders once more, shoved off but didn’t allow herself to fall forward. Instead, she clenched her core for all she was worth and allowed her legs to go vertical above her and then to bend forward slightly. 

 

When they did it right, as now, Sonya would end up doing a handstand on Crisom’s shoulders. She held it for as long as she could before she allowed herself to tip forward. In a match, she’d hit a senton from this position. The visual would be so cool for the audience, provided that Crisom stayed absolutely steady and Sonya kept her balance. She held it the pose for three seconds before tipping forward and landing once more on her feet. Thrilled at having it done it so perfectly she held arms wide like a gymnast who had just landed off a vault. 

 

Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have done such a thing in front of someone she didn’t know. Sonya was painfully shy and thought she was making progress she was trying to climb out of a very deep hole. This social anxiety was what had prevented her from speaking more forcibly earlier. But, there were some encouraging signs. She was actually more comfortable around John Crisom than she ever had been in a one on one setting with someone she didn’t know.

 

It probably had a lot to do with the giant’s gentle nature. Crisom was enormous and could appear so alarming to those who didn’t know him well. But Sonya learning that he exemplified the cliche of the big teddy bear. He seemed perfectly happy to allow Sonya however much time she needed to get comfortable and she appreciated this greatly. This was why she felt comfortable being a little more free than she usually was in company.

 

“You sure you don’t want to try number four again?” Crisom asked her. When he spoke to Sonya he had to look almost straight down. Every time they were together Sonya felt as though she were a child.

 

“No thank you,” Sonya said with a quick shake of her head. Quite apart from her dislike of the move, she had to go. Excusing herself, Sonya made her way to ropes with Crismon. She smiled as he stepped on the bottom rope and pulled the middle one up for her and then dropped to the floor. 

 

“We need to work on team promos too,” Crisom said casually as they walked. Sonya froze.

 

She’d had known there would be promos involved with the tournament. Sonya was terrible at speaking in front of groups and had achieved some unfortunate fame at the Forge as the girl who had once fainted in promo class due to nervousness. Due to one reason or another Sonya hadn’t actually been to a promo class in some time, now all her old anxietes came flooding back to her. Crisom was an unusually astute person but it wouldn’t have taken any great skill to realize that Sonya was uncomfortable.

 

“Don’t worry Sonya I have an idea for us,” he assured her with a smile. Sonya tried to return the gesture but found she was suddenly a little sick to her stomach.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the Forge John,” Sonya said as she pulled on her coat and hurried out to her car. She didn’t even bother with her hat and gloves. She was in a hurry and she was from Minnesota, she as used to the cold. On the drive home, she wrestled with the twin anxieties of the news about promos and her building nervousness about the night ahead. 

 

Sonya had agreed to go out with her friend Alexia England tonight to see a stand-up show where one of their fellow students, Lance Douglas, would be performing. Sonya had been surprised for several reasons when Alexia had asked, almost begged, her to come with. Not the least of which was that Sonya herself rarely went out at night. She was an admitted chronic homebody. 

 

What made Alexia’s decision even more surprising was the fact that she had asked Sonya despite the fact that she lived with their mutual friend Noelle Foley. Noelle, who was always proverbial life of whatever party she was in. Noelle, who DELIGHTED in going out on any pretext. She would seem to make much more sense as a potential companion.

 

But Sonya had already agreed and, though she was once an expert at escaping social situations, that was harder these days. She shared an apartment with Britney Shane so if she tried to tell Alexia that she was feeling sick or tired it would backfire. Alexia was their groups de factor mom and if she thought Sonya wasn’t feeling well she’d call Britney immediately to have check in on Sonya.

 

So it was with mounting trepidation that Sonya got home, showered, and then returned to her closet. Given her druthers, Sonya would wear more or less the same thing all the time, jeans and a t-shirt with the optional addition of a hoody. But her experience with Noelle had taught her that this wasn’t as acceptable as she would have liked. But, she realized with some enthusiasm, Noelle wouldn’t be there tonight.

 

So it was clad in a pullover and leggings under her peacoat that she drove over to Alexia and Noelle’s apartment. She didn’t go up to get Alexia because she didn’t want to catch a lecture from Noelle over her outfit. At least she didn’t have to wait long for Alexia who appeared only a few minutes after Sonya had arrived.

 

“Hey Blue, thanks so much for driving and coming out tonight,” Alexia said apologetically. Alexia was wearing a long coat that probably would have hung down to Sonya’s feet and a knit beanie. Sonya noted that she’d straightened her usually curly long black hair for the evening and that she was wearing more makeup than usual. 

 

“No problem, should we go?” Sonya asked.

 

“Yeah, you know where we’re going right?” Alexia asked.

 

“Yeah to the mall.”

 

“Wait, which mall?” Alexia asked, she was from London and their training hadn’t given her much time to explore the twin cities. 

 

“Oh we just call the Mall of America ‘the mall’ because...well you’ll see,” Sonya said as she began to drive. Alexia was still acclimating to the fact that America’s drove on the right side of the road so she was always a bit tense when she sat in the front seat but she still managed to keep up a flow of nervous chatter the whole way. Sonya, never a great conversationalist anyway, did her best to hold up her end.

 

“Shit, first the carpark and now this?” Alexia was saying when they finally walked into the Mall itself.

 

“Yeah, it’s really big,” Sonya said as she instinctively stood close to her friend. She wasn’t a huge fan of crowds.

 

“Do you know where this place is?” Alexia asked. Unlike Sonya she could see over most crowds and now she was peering around the entryway they were standing in.

 

“Over there,” Sonya said ass he tugged on Alexia’s arm. As she did she was acutely aware of how much she might look like Alexia’s niece to a passerby. One advantage of being with Alexia though was that she tended to turn heads and thus part crowds in front of her. This only made sense, Alexia was very striking.

 

Sonya’s friend was an Amazonian 6’1” with a noticeably powerful frame that somehow never seemed bulky. Her long dark obsidian hair gleamed like silk under bright lights and he had teeth that could have lit up a dark room. These stood out all the more against her dark skin. All in all, Sonya could not have felt plainer save perhaps if she’d been standing next to Alexia AND Noelle.

 

Heads continued to turn in Alexia’s direction as Sonya followed her into the House of Comedy. The lights were dim and there was a loud buzz of conversation all around them as they found seats. Once again, Sonya ended up sitting at a high top which meant her legs were dangling noticeably.

 

“So...uh...how do we get drinks or something? Alexia asked as she looked around.

 

“I don’t know...I’ve never been here,” Sonya said nervously, she was feeling the familiar twisting in her stomach that meant her anxiety was rising. The mystery was solved when a waitress appeared and took their drink orders.

 

“Well that was convenient,” Alexia said as she shrugged off her coat. Sonya couldn’t help but gape as she saw what her friend was wearing. Alexia was in a red dress that showed off her toned arms and shoulders while hugging her frame in all the right places.

 

“You look nice,” Sonya said, partially because she meant it and partially because she was trying to distract herself from the crowd.

 

“Aww thank you, Blue! So do you,” Alexia said with a smile. Again in an effort to distract herself from the people all around her Sonya picked up the small flip menu on the table and began reading intently.

 

“Do you know when Lance comes on?” she asked.

 

“No, I-” Alexia started to say when the sound of pounding feet came toward them. Looking around in alarm Sonya found that she had to look down to see a little girl sprinting past the tables. She hurried past where Alexia and Sonya were sitting before suddenly come to a screeching halt. Sonya frowned and watched as the girl revolved slowly on the spot to stare at Sonya herself.

 

Always more comfortable with children than adults Sonya smiled and asked: “Hi, what’s your name?”

 

The girl, who seemed to be about to be about 13 or 14, just gaped. Sonya caught a glimpse of a stunned expression on a face with sunkissed skin, flashing eyes, and framed by brunette hair. The girl stared at Sonya for a few moments longer before she turned and fled through a door marked ‘private’.

 

“That was weird,” Alexia said in a puzzled voice. Before Sonya could answer someone began speaking with a microphone. The speaker, presumably the MC, introduced the night’s first act and a few moments later the show was underway. The first few comics were only on stage for about five minutes each and neither Sonya or Alexia was blown away by them.

 

“I don’t know about that one…” Alexia said as she sipped her beer “...who uses a stage name like ‘Goose’?”

 

“I don’t know, he wasn’t very funny though,” Sonya said before sipping her scotch through a tiny straw. Before they could say anything else the curtain rose once again and there, on stage, was their classmate Lance Douglas.

 

Sonya supposed that Lance was actually a pretty good looking man. He had a mop of messy dark hair that Sonya knew many women would love to run their hands through. He had green eyes that seemed to constantly glimmer with mischief. All this on a body that was toned but not bulky and with a grin like a pair of headlights.

 

“Welcome ladies, gentleman, thank you so much for that applause...I feel you all overdid it a bit though I mean...what if I’m not good? I can’t give you that applause back!” Lance said as he began to pace back and forth on the stage.

 

Sonya sniggered at this while Alexia burst out laughing.

 

The show continued on this pattern for several minutes with the crowd seeming to really enjoy itself. Lance’s jokes drew real laughs, not the perfunctory sort, and he seemed to really enjoy interacting with the crowd. He even skillfully handled a heckler once in a way that made the crowd mutter in approval. Sonya couldn’t help but think how amazing Lance’s promo work might be.

 

Lance had apparently only been booked for five minutes like the previous acts but he ended up performing for almost fifteen. He twice tried to leave the stage but got called back for encores.  Each time he seemed to come back freshly energized and with a seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of material. 

 

When he finally left the stage for the last time Sonya turned to Alexia, who had been laughing as loud as anyone the whole time, with a small grin on her face. “Lance is pretty funny isn’t he?” she asked happily.

 

“Bloody hilarious more like,” Alexia said as she wiped at the corner of her eye. 

 

“So should we stay and try to talk to him?...” Sonya asked before adding hopefully “...or we could just try to catch him tomorrow at the Forge.”

 

Alexia didn’t seem to hear the last part of, however. Suddenly looking apprehensive she said: “I don’t know, maybe we shouldn’t bother him? But he did invite me so…”. Sonya waited for Alexia to finish her thought but her friend stayed silent at this.

 

“Soo…?” she finally prompted Alexia.

 

“Maybe we should go, I know I’ve kept you out later than you like to-” Alexia started to say before she cut off in a startled squeak.

 

“Well hey there Xexa, Gabriel…” Lance Douglas said as he appeared at their table and nodded at Alexia and Sonya in turn “...I hope you guys liked the show!”

 

Sonya noticed that Alexia’s hand immediately jumped to her hair as she beamed at Lance and said: “Yeah we did! You really enjoy taking the piss out of yourself don’t you?”

 

Sonya frowned at this. Alexia’s accent had suddenly gotten more noticeable and her bantering tone sounded more like something she would hear from Britney or Noelle. 

 

“I do try my best guv!” Lance responded in a ridiculous imitation of a British accent. This was amusing but Sonya wasn’t sure it warranted the kind of laughter Alexia gave it. 

 

“If you can do what you did tonight I think our promos are going to be amazing!” Alexia said enthusiastically.

 

“No offense Sonya, but I have to agree with your friend,” Lance told Sonya. Before Sonya could answer he and Alexia were off in a very enthusiastic conversation. Sonya was quite comfortable blending into the background and actually preferred for people not to pay too much attention to her, so this suited her fine.  

 

But this also meant that she had some time to observe her friend as she talked with Lance. Sonya noted mostly that Alexia’s whole demeanor, even down to the pitch of her voice, changed when she spoke with Lance. At first, Sonya found this strange and she was working to try and puzzle out the reason. But then she realized something that made her smile.

 

Her friend had a crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Sonya's story continues! We're moving forward quickly and I can't wait to have you all along for the big moments coming up for our girl.
> 
> If you liked what you read I'd be thrilled and honored if you'd consider leaving a kudo or a comment. I'd be beyond ecstatic if you would consider a bookmark!
> 
> So what did everyone think here? Obviously, Sonya would be the last one to realize what everyone else knew right?


	22. Chapter 22: A final Hurdle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the run-up to the Forge's mixed tag tournament, Sonya must confront an old fear before she can begin.

Sonya jumped as Britney poked her head into the bathroom.

 

“Hey Blue, can I-” she started to ask before her face change into a curious expression. She’d cut off because Sonya was looking guilty as sin standing with her hands behind her back. Britney just looked at her for a few moments before she asked: “Everything...OK in here?”

 

“Yep, I was...yep,” Sonya said, feeling her cheeks burn. Britney had to have seen this, and she was a good enough friend where she was definitely going to get a few digs in.

 

“So...what’cha doing?” Britney asked with a grin.

 

“Uh, nothing I’m just going to…” Sonya said as she tried to slip past Britney and out into the hallway.

 

Britney let her go but added: “Because it looked like you were making faces into the mirror…”

 

Sonya chose to pretend like she hadn’t heard and this and simply hurried off to her room. When she arrived she tried not to let the door slam too hard. Still blushing furiously Sonya collapsed facedown onto her bed. She was still in this position when there was a soft knock on her door.

 

“Blue? You alright? I didn’t upset you did I?” Britney asked hesitantly.

 

“No,” Sonya muttered into her bed

 

“It’s not that big of a deal, really,” Britney tried to assure her. Sonya didn’t respond a few moments later she felt like Britney sit beside her on the bed.

 

“I’m fine,” Sonya mumbled.

 

“You know, you spend a lot of time face down in your bed like that,” Britney pointed out. When Sonya only nodded Britney asked: “So, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

 

Sonya thought about denying it but realized this would be futile. She’d only known Britney for a few months but in that time they’d become best friends. Trying to hide something from someone you were that close to AND who you lived with was already tough. But Britney was a usually preceptive person in her own right.

 

“We have to cut promos for the tournament,” Sonya said, still facedown.

 

“Yeah, I’m aware…” Britney answered cautiously.

 

“So you know how I am at those,” Sonya answered.

 

“I know how you WERE at those, but you’re not the same person you were when you fainted in promo class,” Britney said reassuringly.

 

“I don’t know,” was all Sonya said.

 

“I do,” Britney said confidently. She waited for a response but when she didn’t get one she asked: “Why don’t you tell me what you were practicing and maybe I can help?”

 

Sonya thought about this for a moment and then sat up. She then told Britney what she and John Crisom had worked out for their plan. Britney listened intently before looking contemplative. But eventually, her features broke into a grin.

 

“I think that’s perfect Blue!”

 

**********

 

After the morning’s work, Sonya and her friends were sitting in their usual lunch room eating. Of course ‘lunchroom’ was a bit of a misnomer. They were sitting in a closet.

 

This tradition had begun when, in her first days at the Forge, Sonya started to eat her lunch in this closet. She’d done this due to her crippling shyness. She’d been unable to handle the mere idea of trying to sit down with people she didn’t know. Fortunately for Sonya, Noelle and Britney had decided to follow her up and eat with her one day. Ever since then, they had made the closet theirs.

 

“...That elbow Brannon caught from Merriman was dirty as hell,” Britney was saying.

 

“He’s an ass,” Alexia said before taking another bite of her salad.

 

“Bet that Brannon could take him in a real fight though,” Noelle put in.

 

“Are you crazy?” Britney asked incredulously.

 

“Why is that crazy?”

 

“Merriman weighs 60lbs more and has muscles on top of muscles,”

 

“You’re the one who was a fighter, were the best ones all bodybuilders?”

 

Britney pursed her lips at this before she said: “No...but that’s in the octagon, not in a real fight.”

 

Alexia and Sonya exchanged a glance at this point. Britney and Noelle were about as close as two friends could well be but they had a particular way of expressing it. Namely, they loved sniping at each other. If left to it they could go on and on completely oblivious to anything else around them. As a consequence, Alexia and Sonya had both learned that the best thing to do was to distract them before they got going in earnest.

 

“So they’re posting the tournament brackets this afternoon,” Alexia said quickly as Noelle was drawing breath to reply to Britney. Both Noelle and Britney turned to look at this news. While they were distracted Sonya mouthed ‘thank you’ to Alexia over their shoulders.

 

“Did they say when?” Britney asked.

 

“Nope, I just heard it from another student,” Alexia said with a shrug.

 

“How are they seating it?” Britney demanded.

 

“When is the first match?” Noelle also demanded.

 

“I need more time to train!”

 

“Are we supposed to have ring gear?”

 

“Girls!” Alexia had to speak more loudly than normal to make herself heard as she held up her hands. When both Britney and Noelle stopped their interrogation she said: “All I know is that it’s happening.”

 

Both Britney and Noelle didn’t look fully satisfied at this but they stopped bombarding Alexia with questions. The group ate in silence for a few minutes before Noelle turned to Sonya.

 

“You’re quiet Blue.”

 

Sonya lowered her sandwich and frowned as she said: “I’m always quiet.”

 

Britney snorted at this and even Noelle smirked as she said: “Fair enough.”

 

Half an hour later they were all standing clustered around the Forge’s main board. As usual, Sonya was struggling to see over the crowd and thankful for the fact that she had tall friends.

 

“Here it comes,” Alexia told her as she studied the board. Sonya was almost bouncing on her toes now in anticipation. The seconds that passed seemed to stretch interminably as Sonya waited for her friends to tell her what was happening.

 

“Why don’t we ever arrive early so I can stand at the front?” she whined.

 

“Here it comes!” Britney told her. There was another long pause before Alexia spoke up.

 

“Brit and Kim are taking on some people called Carter King and Kylie Greene,” Alexia said.

 

“They’re both final cycle students. Carter is from the UK, Lex,” Noelle put in.

 

“Well, he’s got that going for him at least” Alexia smirked. There was another long pause then before Britney spoke up.

 

“Noelle and...who is Omar Abdullah?” she asked.

 

“Another final cycle student. He’s cool,” Noelle said nonchalantly.

 

“Well, you’re facing Danielle Williams and Garrett Mills,” Britney said, sounding somewhat taken aback.

 

“Oh yes! Lance and I are facing Konstantine Pefanis and Casey Johnson,” Alexia said happily.

 

“Who are they?” Sonya asked.

 

“Third cycle students,” Noelle put in.

 

“Do you know EVERYONE in the Forge?” Britney asked her incredulously.

 

“Well, I wouldn’t know if I didn’t know someone would I?”

 

“Guys, can you bicker later?” Alexia scolded she was quiet for a moment and then said: “Blue and Crisom will be facing…”

 

Sonya closed her eyes in anticipation.

 

“Hannah Hunter and Joe Griffin,” Alexia said with a small smile. Sonya’s eyes flew open at this. Her stomach was already twisting on itself, she would be wrestling against one of McKayla Maroney’s friends. Before she could comment, Britney asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.

 

“So did Maroney not enter?”

 

“No, neither did Merriman,” Noelle said.

 

“Those two missing a chance to show off, what’s going on?” Britney asked, only half sarcastically.

 

“I overheard them talking the other day, they think they’re too good for it. They were both talking about needing to ‘protect their body’,” Marie Diaz, one of their fellow students, put in from nearby. All four members of the Crew turned to look at her incredulously.

 

“They said that?” Britney asked, sounding scandalized.

 

“That’s what I heard,” Diaz said with a shrug.

 

Sonya took some time to process this information. She supposed she understood their two former professional athlete’s position on a purely intellectual level. Maroney and Merriman would both have been taught to view their bodies as their primary means of income and to not risk them unnecessarily. But even to someone who was usually willing to believe the best in others like Sonya, this seemed very arrogant from two newcomers to wrestling.

 

“Scared, more like,” Alexia muttered darkly. Sonya privately agreed. Before anyone else could comment she was suddenly cast in a shadow as a heavy hand fell on her shoulder. Turning around, Sonya herself looking at an abdomen. Casting her eyes skyward she eventually found the smiling face of John Crisom.

 

“Hey Lil Moon, it’s time for us to cut that first promo,” he rumbled in a voice that would have shaken glassware.

 

“Okay,” Sonya squeaked as she tried to smile. Crisom always intimidated her by virtue of his size. He was twenty-one inches taller than she was and had limbs that were as thick as her trunk, This reaction wasn’t fair to Crisom however, he had the kind of gentleness about him that only a giant could have.

 

“Have fun you two,” Noelle said happily. Sonya turned back to try and acknowledge this with a nod, but then she saw Britney mouthing ‘lil moon’ at her with a bemused expression. Sonya blushed and decided to just follow her giant partner. Crisom had bestowed the nickname on her and Sonya still wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. Regardless, she wasn’t prepared to say anything about it to him.

 

“We get to meet with one of the PWF’s official video dudes, this is pretty dope,” Crisom said as they walked. Rather, as he walked, Sonya had to almost jog to keep pace with his strides.

 

“Where?” Sonya asked.

 

“Training room two, I think we're shooting the promo in the ring,” Crisom said with a shrug.

 

“Okay,” Sonya said quietly, already feeling the nervousness rising in her stomach.

 

“You alright LM?” Crisom asked, stopping short which forced Sonya to do so as well. Since she’d been hurrying she actually had to skid to a halt and ended up a few steps in front of him.

 

“I’m fine,” Sonya said automatically, a lie she’d told thousands of times in her life. Most of the time when people asked this question they weren’t really interested in the answer and so didn’t press her on it. But Crisom, it seemed, wasn’t going to be put off so easily.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked kindly.

 

“Nothing-” Sonya started to say, another automatic lie she often told, but then stopped herself. Crisom seemed to be genuinely concerned, why was she doing this? Taking a deep breath she asked: “I...I’m not good at talking in front of people...or at all.”

 

“You talking about that thing that happened to you in promo class?” Crisom asked. Sonya looked down at her feet at the memory.

 

“Yeah…” she muttered.

 

“Don’t even worry about it Lil Moon, I’ll do the talking you just do your part and we got this,” Crisom said a big grin. Sonya found herself automatically trying to suppress her own smile but, after a moment, decided that this too was silly. When Crisom saw she was smiling too he gave her a friendly pat on the back.

 

Sonya could have done without this particular gesture of support. Not that she didn’t appreciate the sentiment of course. But from someone as big and powerful as Crisom a pat on the back became something more in the nature of a meteor strike. This went double when the recipient was someone of Sonya’s build.

 

After she managed to recover her balance Sonya said: “Thanks, John.”

 

They finished their walk to the training room in companionable silence. When they arrived they were met at the door by a pair of departing students. When they eventually made it in they found the room unoccupied save for a single man sitting on the ring apron next to a camera.

 

“Hey, you two North and Crisom?” he called to them.

 

“That’s us,” Crisom said with a nod.

 

If Sonya had to describe the man she would have said ‘cool’. His whole demeanor was one that seemed to put you at ease. He was wearing a grey beanie, red flannel, and jeans that all looked worn, but worn by use, not by design. He had dark eyes and hair that matched the beard he wore.

 

“Goose Connor,” introduced himself as he approached and shook both Sonya and Crisom’s hands.

 

“Goose?” Crisom asked in a bemused voice.

 

“Goose,” the man said with a nod and a smile.

 

“Cool,” Crisom said in turn. Three words had been said but Sonya sensed that, somehow, the two men had just established a liking for each other.

 

Boys were weird.

 

“So here’s how this works…” Goose started to explain “...I want to hear your ideas for your promo, then I’ll make any tweaks that I think will help, then we’ll shoot it.”

 

“We don’t get any say on the tweaks?” Crisom asked.

 

“I’ll listen to them but my camera my kingdom, sorry,” Goose said with a shrug. Crisom seemed to accept this as he nodded. He then launched into an explanation of the idea he and Sonya had come up with. Sonya didn’t take any part in this herself, Crisom was doing just fine without her. Goose listened intently to the ideas without comment until Crisom ran out of words.

 

The videographer looked thoughtful for a while but before he asked: “OK, you guys ready to shoot this?”. Sonya was surprised at this reaction, she’d been expecting him to make some changes to their idea.

 

“Yeah, good to go,” Crisom said with a nod. Shifting to a more secure perch, Sonya also nodded.

 

“Alright when I point you start,” Goose said as he stepped back the camera standing in front of Crisom and Sonya.

 

Despite how smoothly things had been going, Sonya couldn’t help but feel increasingly nervous as the moment neared. She had become famous, or infamous, in the Forge as the girl who had once fainted in a promo class. Now here she was not only about to be part of a promo but doing it on camera. Given her current position, she just hoped her sweaty palms weren’t obvious.

 

But before she could be pulled under by the riptide of her panic, something else occurred to her. She thought about the week she’d spent being personally tutored by Yoshihiro Asai, the Ultimo Dragon. The days they’d spent cloistered away in that training room had done more to build Sonya’s confidence than years and years of well-intentioned efforts from friends and family. She was specifically thinking about some advice Asai had given her on promos.

 

“If you cannot speak, then make your silence speak for you,” Asai had told her.  Sonya knew that during his runs in the United States, Asai had rarely if ever cut a promo himself. He knew what he was talking about and, more importantly, he had seemed to really believe Sonya could work with the advice. So maybe it was less a matter of her own confidence and more one of her borrowing some from Asai. Whatever the case, she suddenly felt her heartbeat slowing.

 

She just had time to think all of this before she noticed that Goose was holding up five fingers. As she watched he began counting down silently. Taking one last deep breath Sonya forced herself to focus on the part she was supposed to play. By the time the last finger dropped she was, suddenly, in character. Then Crisom began to speak. Sonya couldn’t see his face from her vantage point but she knew it would a mask of intensity.

 

“Yo, this is John Crisom! The BIG GRIZ! With a message for all the fools, I’m about to check when they step into MY RING. You step to me! You gonna get PUT DOWN!” Crisom bellowed the last words so loud it hurt Sonya’s ears.

 

Crisom kept speaking for about a minute before Sonya realized they were coming to her part. Folding her arms in front of her she rested her cheek on her forearms and schooled them into the proper expression. She’d just done this when her she heard Crisom drop her cue.

 

“...the BIG GRIZ is out hunting!..and he’s out hunting...under a blue moon,” Crisom finished as Goose pulled the camera slowly back while panning its lens upward. This revealed Sonya, sitting on Crisom's shoulders with her arms resting on his head. Looking down, Sonya simply smiled softly, the look of peaceful contentment she’d been working on. She gazed evenly into the camera, silently, for several long seconds. As she did she fancied she could almost feel the blue moon stamp on her face.

 

A moment later it was over. Goose made the cutting signal and stepped out from behind the camera. He didn’t speak for a few moments as he seemed lost in thought. When he finally looked up he had a grin on his face.

 

“That...is going to be pretty cool,” he said before turning to leave.

 

Sonya just kept smiling.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone had a great holiday! I'd love to hear from you in comments! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter 23: North and Crisom vs Hunter and Griffin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Forge's mixed tag tournament opens with a match featuring Sonya and John Crisom.

Sonya North was at least grateful that she didn’t have to wear her ring gear today.

 

It was the opening round of the tournament and she’d been a nervous wreck ever since learning that she and Crisom would the opening match. She would have much preferred to have a match in the very middle, something that could blend in. But if she had to be the opening act, at least she didn’t have work up the courage to appear in front of the whole forge in her gear.

 

This was an odd hang-up and she knew it. She’d performed in front crowds of strangers in her gear and never been too fixated on it (though mostly because she’d been worried about other things). But somehow she felt uncomfortable with the idea of appearing in front of the more advanced students in particular while wearing her gear.

 

In lieu of her usual in-ring outfit, she was wearing a long sleeve yoga top and shorts. She’d picked this ensemble because it would restrict her movement, very important for a flyer like Sonya, but also because they wouldn’t give her opponents anything to grab onto.

 

Now here she was, in the locker room by herself, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. She’d been nervous before matches before, but never like this. She’d been performing in front of a crowd of people who had a good idea of how things were supposed to be done in the ring. There would be no concealing mistakes today. Sonya was jumping up and down in a circle when she heard the locker room doors open.

 

“North, we’re ready for you,” she heard Gail Kim call to her from around the corner. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she gave herself one last silent pep talk before she began to walk. Even as she went she realized that the talk hadn’t worked, and she found herself repeating: “Oh god, oh god, oh god,” over and over.

 

The moment she left the security of the locker room she was met by her partner: John Crisom. The former college football star was waiting for her with an expectant grin on his face. As far as Sonya could tell, next to nothing ever phased the giant. Maybe because he was a giant. Crisom stood 6’10” and tipped the scales at 328 lbs. This made for an odd contrast with Sonya herself who stood 5’1” and weighed in at 126 lbs.

 

“Ready to go Lil Moon?” Crisom asked her with a grin. Sonya couldn’t speak so she just nodded. “Alright then, let's go get a win,” Crisom said as he beckoned for her to follow.

 

The men’s and women’s locker rooms both exited into a short hallway that opened onto the Forge’s main floor. Crisom had walked across from the men’s locker room to wait for Sonya and now they both emerged out onto the main floor together. When Sonya saw what awaited them she very nearly turned to run back into the locker room.

 

Seemingly every single student in the Forget was waiting for them, along with the instructors and other staff. The five rings on the main floor were arranged in a dice like pattern though everyone seemed to be watching the ring in the center. It was only about fifty feet to that ring but suddenly it felt like ten miles to Sonya.

 

She saw that their opponents, Hannah Hunter, and Joe Griffin were already waiting in the ring. Both seemed extra intimidating to Sonya today. Fortunately, she couldn’t focus entirely on this as they walked. As usual, she was having to almost scamper to keep up with Crisom’s enormous strides.

 

When they did eventually reach the ring she trudged up the steps while Crisom pulled himself up onto the apron using the top rope. He then turned to hold the middle rope for Sonya only to find that his partner was already in the ring. Out of nervousness, Sonya had vaulted up and over the top rope. She then joined the others and their acting referee for the day, Ken Shamrock himself, in the center of the ring.

 

“Do you best out here, give it your all, don’t do something dumb that gets you or anyone else hurt,” the Forge’s head instructor told them. When he received nods and affirmative mutters he sent Sonya and Hannah to corners while Crisom and Griffin stood in the ring. Without any further preamble, someone rang a bell.

 

Sonya watched as Crisom and Griffin began to circle each other. She guessed that Griffin was probably about 6’ and a little over 200 lbs, not a small man...except when he stood next to John Crisom. More aware of this than anyone, Griffin was obviously planning to keep moving to try and either tire out or outmaneuver Crisom. It was a good plan, the one Sonya would have used, it just wasn’t working.

 

The problem was that no matter how cute Griffin got, eventually he had to get close try and land some offense. Whenever he got close he had to instantly scuttle backward to avoid being caught by Crisom. He, and everyone else watching knew that in a tie-up situation he’d get thrown around like a rag doll.

 

The first true exchange came when Griffin, finding his spot, ducked in and landing a pair of shots on Crisom’s stomach. It had to feel like punching a tree trunk and was about as effective. But Griffin kept moving, dodging, and sticking short combos in whenever he could. It was then that Sonya recalled that the man had once been a boxer.

 

Griffin miscalculated only a few moments later. Trying to duck in for another combo he got snared by the catcher's mitt sized hands of Crisom. The angle wasn’t right for any kind of lift or slam so Crisom simply shoved the smaller man backward. Though he didn’t seem to put too much strength behind the move, it was enough to send Griffin rolling backward. When he regained his feet his eyes were wide as dinner plates. Giving Crisom a quick glance he quickly retreated to his corner and tagged in Hannah Hunter.

 

As per the rules, this meant that Crisom had to do the same, and the women entered the ring. Hunter did so eagerly while Sonya took her time, never taking her eyes off the other woman. She didn’t know much about Hannah beyond the fact that she seemed to be almost attached at the hip with Sonya’s main antagonist at the forge, McKayla Maroney.

 

Hannah, like almost everyone, was bigger than Sonya by a few inches and probably ten or so pounds. Sonya had heard that she’d been an indy wrestler like Sonya herself before joining the forge. This meant she wouldn’t be as easy to trick as some others might have been. Sonya steeled herself for a challenge.

 

Had she been less laser-focused she might have even noticed that her nervousness was gone.  

 

Hunter didn’t waste any time, she immediately hurried toward Sonya. She’d have seen Sonya’s brief time in the ring with Danielle Williams and no doubt had planned accordingly. But Sonya couldn’t allow herself to fixate on this, she had a plan and she needed to stick to it.

 

Rather than let Hannah chase her around, Sonya ran right at the other woman. Her usual move here would be to either quickly dart around her opponent or even to leap over them and Hunter to knew it. So instead, Sonya kicked her in the stomach.

 

Specifically, she hit a low angle dropkick that folded the other woman over for a moment. By the time she recovered Sonya was already running back the way, she’d come. This was her preferred style of wrestling. People called her a high flyer but Sonya felt that ‘constant motion’ was more on the mark. When she was standing still, she was vulnerable. So she rarely stood still.

 

Rebounding off the ropes she ran back at Hunter who dropped down to her stomach, forcing Sonya to hop over her. What Sonya hadn’t expected was for Hunter to pop back up and run in the other direction. This meant when Sonya came off her ropes she was met almost instantly by a charging Hunter. She was dropped very hard to the mat but the other woman’s shoulder block. Before Sonya could even think of escaping, Hunter dropped an elbow hard onto her chest.

 

Sonya heard the onlookers react as Hunter did this and then again when she dropped a second elbow. Sonya’s breath was driven from her for a second time, and she knew that if she stayed where she was she risked even worse. When Hunter showed signs of going for a third elbow Sonya simply lifted her knees to her chest. Hunter saw this and stopped her move but this was enough time for Sonya to roll away.

 

Regaining her feet Sonya took off once more, this time toward a corner. She heard Hunter chasing her, a mistake, and knew that it was her turn now. When she was a yard away from the turnbuckles Sonya lept. Her jump was enough to land her squarely on the top turnbuckle, perched in a frog-like position. She knew she didn’t have time to perform any kind of move as Hunter would be right behind her so Sonya simply launched herself backward, completing the backflip by landing on both feet directly behind Hunter. Of course, Hunter had already checked her momentum and was turning around by now. Before she could do anything more Sonya had lept up onto her shoulders, cinched her legs tightly around the other woman’s head, and then pulled backward with her legs and core. The hurricanrana drove Hunter to the mat with a loud clattering sound.

 

Sonya was so focused she didn’t even hear the appreciative noises the crowd was making. She was concentrating on once again climbing the turnbuckle. This time she had the time to situate herself before Hannah could fully recover. Sonya threw herself forward, turning mid-air to hit her opponent at a perpendicular angle. The diving body press drove Hunter down to the mat once again as Sonya rolled off her and started running once more.

 

This time she slid under the bottom rope, caught it on her way past, and used her momentum to pop herself up to a standing position on the apron. Hannah was still struggling to regain her breath and feet so Sonya did something fancy. Jumping up onto the third rope Sonya sprang high into the air and began rotating forward. When she hit Hunter again it was at the end of a 450 splash.

 

This time Hannah had clearly had enough so when she finally rolled away from Sonya she went for a quick tag. Sonya, per the rules, turned and walked back to her corner where she tagged in Crisom.

 

“Nice work LM,” Crisom said as he stepped over the top rope.

 

Griffin and Crisom stayed in the ring for almost five minutes and now Griffin’s strategy was starting to pay off. Crisom planted the smaller man several times but it was obvious that the effort of trying to force his big frame to keep up with the smaller man was starting to tire Sonya’s partner. She tried to keep this from showing on her face as she clung nervously to her tag rope.  

 

Her anxiety kicked into high gear when Griffin managed to scissor his arms around Crisom’s arm in the middle of the ring. A moment later the smaller man dropped down to the canvas in a triangle armbar that looked very stiff. Sonya began pacing back and forth as far as her tag rope would allow her. As nervous as she’d been to be the first match she now felt that she’d never live it down if she LOST in the opening match. She was wondering what she could do when she heard someone shouting from the onlookers.

 

“Come on John! Get up!” the voice shouted, it took Sonya a moment to realize it was Noelle who was shouting.

 

It was as though this shout had broken some kind of spell. Suddenly all the onlookers were shouting encouragement or jeering. Even Sonya was stunned out of her reveries as she began jumping up and down on the apron.

 

“Come on John!” she shouted as she bounced. Sonya rarely shouted and several of her classmates, who had never heard this, looked at her with stunned expressions.

 

She didn’t know if Crisom really heard her, or anyone else. But he did get up. Sonya saw the hand of his trapped arm clamp onto Griffin’s tank top. He gave a loud grunt and got both feet firmly under his frame. Sonya watched in astonishment as her partner took a deep breath and proceeded to hoist Griffin up off the mat with one arm. A moment later he had the smaller man in a powerbomb position but this, apparently, wasn’t enough. With a roar, Crisom actually managed to fully extend his arm with Griffin still wrapped around it. Then he brought it down.

 

Sonya had never seen an elevated powerbomb done with one arm, now she had.

 

She’d assumed briefly that Crisom would move to tag her now. She was wrong. Standing over his opponent, Crisom reached down and clamped both hands around Griffin’s neck. With frightening power, he hoisted the other man to a standing position with nothing but the strength in his arms. A moment later he heaved upward once more and suddenly he was pressing Griffin, with apparent ease, over his head. Turning to face the corner where Hannah Hunter was standing he tossed Griffin almost contemptuously in her direction.

 

Hunter had no real choice, she made a blind tag with her dazed partner and stepped back between the ropes. Crisom retreated to Sonya and tagged her in. As he did, however, he whispered: “Number one?”.

 

“Yeah, let me just set it up,” Sonya said as she ran to meet Hunter. They came together in the middle of the ring, Hunter going high looking for a clothesline. Sonya went low, and baseball slid through her legs. Coming up behind Hunter she lept, got both hands on Hunter’s shoulders, and pulled with all her might. Hunter was driven back down to the canvas as by the sitout reverse mat slam.

 

Before she could move again Sonya had lept high into the air, landing in a seated position over Hannah’s midsection. Sonya had pulled most of the force from her leaping sitting senton but she’d left enough to force the other woman to stay down. Sonya then somersaulted toward her corner and slapped Crisom’s outstretched hand.

 

Normally this would force Griffin back into the match. But like Sonya and Crisom had been practicing, he immediately tagged Sonya back in as soon as he was in the ring, now the women were legal. Standing with his back to the still prone Hunter Crisom lowered his linked hands and Sonya stepped into them. Her stomach gave a lurch as she found herself being propelled upwards by Crisom.

 

Sonya did her best to remain half crouched as this happened and when he finally unclasped his hands, about when her shins were even with his chest, she sprang. She hadn’t known exactly what sort of maneuver she would perform until that moment, but now it was absolutely clear to her. As she went sailing upward she tucked forward, clasped the back of her knees, and began to rotate as quickly as she could manage. She felt her hair fan out around her as she fell and a moment later the familiar impact came. It was actually Sonya’s legs and butt that hit the mat first but there was still plenty of impact leftover to go right into Hannah.

 

640 cannonball senton.

 

Slumping backward Sonya scrabbed for Hannah’s left leg which she managed to hook with a tenuous grip. Time seemed to slow dramatically as she felt the mat vibrate slightly as Shamrock dropped to all fours next to her. She heard him shout ‘one’ as though from a great distance away.

 

During their somewhat tense planning meeting, she and Hannah had agreed that at this point Hannah would kick out at two before the match would resume. So when Shamrock’s hand hit the mat for the second time and he shouted ‘two’ Sonya tensed. She was waiting for Hannah to do the same, this always happened before someone kicked out. She was still waiting when Shamrock’s hand hit the mat from the third time.

 

Sonya heard the bell but didn’t quite understand what had happened. She was so shocked that she still hadn’t released Hannah’s leg when the cheering began. She probably would have sat there for much longer if Hannah hadn’t suddenly sat up with a grunt. Sonya sat up out of reflex as well but before she could stand Hannah leaned forward and spoke into her ear.

 

“I can’t wrestle you, you’re too good. And...I’m sorry,” she said before dropping back to the mat and rolling out of the ring. Sonya turned to look after her but before she could speak she found herself being wrapped up in arms as thick a cannons. Before she knew it her feet were dangling in the air and Crisom was bellowing in her ear.

 

“Hell yeah! That’s my LM!” he shouted over the clapping and cheering from the other students. Trapped with her back against Crisom’s barrel chest she looked out at the other students and faculty and saw that they were all looking back at her. Most were smiling, a few were cheering, but they were all clapping. As ridiculous as she felt being held there she felt a smile growing on her face, one that even she couldn’t suppress.

 

And she found she didn’t want to.

 

When Crisom finally let her down she turned and hugged the big man around his waist, her arms failing to meet on his back. She then rolled out of the ring where she was met by her friends. For the second time in a minute, she found herself being engulfed in a hug. This always happened to her with her friends given how much shorter she was than the rest of the group.

 

“That was bloody amazing!” Alexia told her happily.

 

“I feel like I should be pissed that they didn’t knock you out of the tournament!” Britney joked.

 

“Our girl is a bad bitch!” Noelle said, addressing everyone else around them. Sonya never spoke, she just kept beaming from ear to ear. For the first time in many years, she felt a warm glow in her stomach.

 

She felt like she was at home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is our first completely wrestling focused chapter and I am very curious to hear what you all think. I know we've had wrestling before but this feels different.
> 
> Please keep the feedback coming! I love hearing from you and it's so nice to find out that you all like this labor of love as much as I do!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	24. Chapter 24: Raising the stakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crew spends some time bonding before Britney and Noelle decide on a wager.

“OK, this can’t be right,” Britney Shane explained as she furrowed her brow and looked down at the book she was reading.

 

Noelle Foley, sitting on the couch next to Sonya, rolled her eyes before asking: “What now?”

 

“This doesn’t make any sense. It says here that you have to exit the ring within five seconds of making a tag or you’ll be disqualified,” Britney said incredulously. 

 

“Yeah, usually five but it can vary depending on where you are,” Noelle conceded. 

 

“I’ve seen the videos of Sonya’s old matches and Lex’s. I’ve also watched a bunch of stuff from your dad’s career. I have ever seen ANYONE get DQ’s for staying in the ring longer than five seconds,” Britney said, finally looking up at them. The glasses she was wearing somehow heightened her indignant look.

 

“Yeah, well...essentially every rule in wrestling can be bent for the sake storytelling,” Noelle pointed out.

 

“Weird,” Britney said as she settled back into her chair.

 

Sonya supposed she could understand why Britney would feel this way. Her friend had come to wrestling from the world of MMA where the rules were much more strictly enforced. This was, in fact, why Britney was reading the PWF rulebook. She’d been training in wrestling for a while but she’d yet to have an official match. Moreover, she hadn’t grown up around or watching the business like Sonya, Noelle, and Alexia.

 

“Hang on, you HAVE to be holding a tag rope to make a legal tag?” Britney asked.

 

“In federations that use them yeah,” Alexia answered. She was standing in the kitchen a few feet away from Britney. She was cooking something that smelled delicious but was also participating in the conversation.

 

“But-” Britney started to say.

 

“Yes, we know, people don’t always do it,” Noelle said in a joking tone of resignation. Britney made a face at her before returning to her reading.

 

“Sonya, do you two have ANY saucepans in here?” Alexia called. All four them were relaxing at Sonya and Britney’s apartment that night. Sonya bit her lip as she thought. She did very little actual cooking, and Britney seemed to only eat the same few things in rotation.

 

“Umm, maybe?” she said as she climbed over the back the couch and padded into the kitchen. There she found Alexia standing over a steaming pot. Sliding past her friend Sonya bent down to grab the step stool she kept in her kitchen for when she needed to reach high cupboards. Alexia watched with a bemused smile before, reaching out a hand, she gently moved Sonya out of the way. 

 

“Blue, I’m here, and I’m tall,” she said in answer to Sonya’s startled look. Sonya blushed as she realized what her friend meant. It should have been impossible for her to forget just how tall Alexia was, quite apart from the time they spent together they were standing only a few feet apart. But somehow Sonya had.

 

“Try, up there,” she muttered as she pointed up at a pair of cabinets over the stove. Alexia, without any visible effort, reached up to open the cabinets and peer inside. Without her stool, this would have required Sonya to climb on the counter. Something she was forced to do more often than she would have liked to admit.

 

“Hmmm, this will do,” Alexia said as he brought a small orange pan out from the cupboard. Sonya recognized it not from having used it recently, or ever, but from her childhood. Most of what she owned by way of kitchenware had once been her parents. 

 

“Sorry, I don’t cook much,” she said apologetically to Alexia.

 

“Yeah, I can tell,” Alexia laughed. As usual, her friend's British accent was more pronounced when she was amused.  Jerking her head over her shoulder toward the fridge she asked: “I assume the middle shelf is Brit’s and the top one is yours?”

 

“Yeah…” Sonya mumbled. She then watched Alexia set the new pan on the stove and turn on another burner. Watching her friend work for a few more moments she asked: “Where did you get the food?”

 

“Not here, that’s for sure,” Alexia laughed.

 

“We brought it,” Noelle called from the living room.

 

“How did you know you’d need to?” Sonya asked quizzically. She couldn’t see Noelle but she heard her chuckle.

 

“Well I assume that you eat popcorn of cereal most nights Blue,” Noelle responded. Sonya didn’t say anything to this, Noelle was right.

 

“You really do need to eat better Blue,” Britney commented without looking up.

 

“Don’t listen to her, you’re fine Sonya. I just assume she’s mad because all she eats is nutrition paste or double A batteries or something,” Noelle joked.

 

“Predictable, you really need new material,” Britney said mildly.

 

“Now you’re just being mean,” Noelle shot back.

 

Surprisingly, Britney didn’t rise to this bait. Instead, she set her book down once more and asked: “Wait, you’re not allowed to strike with a closed fist?”

 

“Nope,” Sonya, Noelle, and Alexia all said together.

 

“But EVERYONE is doing that,” Britney pointed out.

 

“Not Sonya,” Alexia said. This was true, Sonya never threw punches. This wasn’t out of respect for the strict letter of the rules, however. She just thought that she looked somewhat ridiculous when she did because of how small her hands were. 

 

“No…” Britney conceded “...but both Hunter and Griffin were throwing punches in their match with Sonya and Crisom.”

 

“Don’t know what to tell you Brit, it’s just a thing,” Noelle said with a shrug.

 

“Why have rules if you’re not going to enforce them?” Britney muttered. Before anyone could respond the oven gave a loud series of beeps.

 

“Blue, can you grab that?” Alexia said distracted as she stirred something. Sonya nodded and, after grabbing some mits, opened the oven door and found herself looking at a long object wrapped in tinfoil. After the initial burst of escaping hot air Sonya was hit by the smell of the thing, it was incredible. 

 

“Uh, yum? When is dinner?” Noelle called.

 

“It’s ready when it’s ready,” Alexia chided, though she didn’t seem angry.

 

“OK, this has nothing to do with the rules but I do have a question for all three of you,” Britney suddenly announced. When the three other women all turned to look at her she gave them a perplexed look and asked: “Why none of you put your hair up when you wrestle?”

 

Sonya, Alexia, and Noelle just blinked at this.

 

“Uh…” Alexia started to say before trailing off.

 

“It’s just a thing you do,” Noelle explained lamely.

 

“But you’re constantly blowing it out of your eyes, wouldn’t it just be easier to wrestle with it up?” Britney asked earnestly. No one spoke.

 

“Umm, dinner is ready,” Alexia finally said to break the silence.

 

Alexia had outdone herself. She’d made spaghetti in a homemade sauce with garlic cheese bread. Sonya hadn’t eaten a meal like this in...years. She’d certainly eaten good food but homemade food prepared by someone who cared for her was something she wasn’t used to anymore. She liked it.

 

“Where did you learn to cook like this Lex?” Britney asked as she helped herself to more bread.

 

“Yeah, this is yummy but spaghetti doesn’t seem like traditional British cuisine,” Noelle joked.

 

“Big family,” Alexia said with a shrug. Sonya knew that her friend did indeed come from a large family. Alexia had five siblings in addition to her parents, all of whom still lived in London. Sonya knew that her friend missed them more than she would admit out loud. Sonya and the others spent so much time with Alexia that they often simply forgot that she was in a foreign country far from home.

 

Sensing that their friend might be drifting into melancholy, Britney spoke up quickly asking: “When are you going back home for a visit?”

 

Sonya smiled at this. Despite her brash and occasionally even confrontational nature, Britney was actually very empathetic. She was one of those people who seemed to be able to sense what was wrong with others instinctively. This was yet another skill that Britney possessed was that Sonya was envious of.

 

“I don’t know, we don’t exactly get a ton of time off here,” Alexia pointed out. This was true, the Forge recruits got their weekends but that was it as far as official time off. And most of them came in on weekends to train anyway.

 

“That’s actually a good point, does anyone know how long it actually takes to graduate from the Forge?” Britney asked.

 

"It depends, if you go straight through, cycle to cycle, then it can be as fast as six months. But most people don’t do that and they end up spending more time in a few cycles,” Noelle answered.

 

“Well there you go, at least six months,” Alexia said glumly. Sonya fought a brief but sharp internal battle before reaching out to put a hand on Alexia’s arm. This gesture might not have seemed like much but for Sonya to take that kind of initiative, well it was big. Especially whe compared to where she had been when she’d met Alexia.

 

Of course, Sonya was completely unaware of this aspect. She was just trying to console her friend.

 

Alexia, not naturally someone given to staying downcast, forced a smile after a few moments before she asked: “I don’t actually know that much about your family Brit, are they all in Alaska?”

 

Britney nodded: “My parents were both only children and my brother still lives with them in Anchorage”. Sonya had ‘met’ Britney’s brother several times while Britney had video called him. Raymond ‘Ray’ Shane was younger than his sister at twenty-two. He had several development disorders in addition to being squarely on the autism spectrum. Sonya had found it adorable to see how much his older sister was Ray’s hero. She privately believed this was part of the reason why Britney drove herself so relentlessly. 

 

“Are they going to come down?” Noelle asked.

 

“Oh I’m sure they will, I know that Ray would love to come down here and see me,” Britney said with a shrug and a smile. All eyes turned to Noelle at this.

 

“What?” she asked, using her free hand to cover the spaghetti she’d been about to put in her mouth.

 

“What do you mean ‘what?’, what have we been talking about?” Britney said exasperatedly.

 

“You guys know that my dad can’t really be seen going in and out of the PWF’s training center now that he’s re-upped his WWE ambassador deal,” Noelle said casually.

 

“But he can come into town,” Alexia pointed out. Noelle just shrugged.

 

“True, but it’s probably going to be me going to see him if anything,” she said as she took another bite. Noelle’s father was the wrestling legend Mick Foley.

 

“Wow...so it seems like we’re all going to need to go visit Lex’s family then if we want more home cooking,” Britney joked. Sonya sent her a private grateful look. She’d just spared Sonya having to talk about her only remaining family, her sister Skye.

 

“They’d actually love that. My mum tells me she feels like she has three more daughters given how much I talk about you lot,” Alexia joked.

 

“Aww you talk about us,” Noelle teased.

 

“I know Ray really wants to meet you all too, especially Blue,” Britney laughed.

 

“It’s the hair isn’t it?” Noelle laughed.

 

“Has to be the hair,” Alexia said as she grinned at Sonya. 

 

“I think he likes talking to me,” Sonya muttered.

 

“He does, but the hair doesn’t hurt,” Britney said. Even Sonya finally laughed. They chatted happily for a few more minutes before the topic turned to the ongoing tournament at the Forge. The next match involving any of them would be Britney and her partner Kim Jon Su vs Carter King and Kylie Greene. 

 

“King is a striker, he used to box. But I I think Kim is more athletic than him,” Britney said.

 

“Maybe, but he’s a stiff worker. If he catches Kim clean with one of those punches that could be it for you two,” Alexia countered.

 

“Kim’s too quick on his feet…” Britney said dismissively before adding “...besides, I’m going to make Green tap out.”

 

She said this without a trace of boasting in her voice, almost as though she were announcing that she planned to go to the store. It was a testament to the respect that Britney’s friends held her in that none of them, not even Noelle, challenged her on this. Britney was a machine of an athlete and was simply more physically gifted than just about anyone she might end up in the ring with. If she said she’d make Greene tap out, she probably would.

 

“So what’s Kim like in private?” Alexia asked, there being nothing else to discuss on Britney’s prospects.

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“I mean, does he open up a bit? He’s soooo quiet,” Noelle pressed.

 

“He’s not THAT quiet, you’re just always talking,” Britney shot back.

 

“BOTH can be true,” Noelle answered. Sonya snorted at this.

 

“We don’t actually talk that much outside of what we need to for training,” Britney said, as though this wasn’t odd.

 

“Wow...so...you two just train...in silence...together?” Noelle asked.

 

“Not in silence, don’t be dramatic,” Britney said with a roll of her eyes.

 

“But, like, you don’t talk unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Noelle insisted, sounding as though she’d never heard of such a concept.

 

“Yes,” Britney sighed, obviously knowing that mockery was about to ensue. To everyone’s surprise, however, Noelle’s face suddenly took on a challenging expression.

 

“I’m going to make you a bet Seven of Nine,” she said. Everyone else blinked. Alexia probably because she didn’t know who Seven of Nine was. Britney, because she wasn’t expecting this reaction. Sonya, because Noelle had just made a Star Trek reference. 

 

“Who is Seven of Nine?” Britney asked.

 

“A Star Trek character,” Noelle explained. Alexia physically recoiled at this answer.

 

“Since where do you watch Star Trek?” Alexia asked, sounding thunderstruck.

 

“I don’t, Sonya told me about it,” Noelle explained. All eyes swiveled to Sonya.

 

“When on Earth were you two casually chatting about Star Trek?” Britney asked incredulously.

 

“I was...telling her about...the story I was writing,” Sonya muttered as she blushed furiously.

 

“You write Star Trek stories?” Alexia asked her.

 

“Yeah,” Sonya told the table.

 

“OK, we’re circling back to the fact that Sonya writes fanfiction…” Britney said as she held up a hand “...but what’s this bet?”

 

“I’m going to get further in the tournament than you,” Noelle declared smugly. Britney blinked at her and then gave a derisive snort.

 

“Oh bring it on blondie, I’ll take your money,” she said smugly. 

 

“I don’t want your money, the loser has to do whatever the winner says for an afternoon,” Noelle responded.

 

“Well that just sounds weird,” Britney said.

 

“You took it there not me,” Noelle answered evenly.

 

“Fine, I’m going to make you go out all day in the ugliest, biggest, most stained sweats and sweatshirt I can find!” Britney said triumphantly.

 

“That would be terrible, but I’m not worried,” Noelle said simply.

 

Sonya wasn’t sure this was the wisest bet Noelle had ever made. Noelle was a very capable wrestler and easily the best mic worker of the Crew. But to be so confident that she could outdo Britney in a purely ring based contest...Sonya wasn’t sure. She assumed Noelle must know something that the rest of them didn’t.

 

Alexia obviously didn’t share this notion as she said: “Oh come on Brit, she’s going to be a nightmare if you make her wear those sweats out in public”. Alexia was Noelle’s roommate.

 

“Hey, Barbie started it,” Britney said with a shrug.

 

“Yes, Barbie did,” Noelle said with a smile. Sonya wondered if she was the only one who caught the smugness in the expression. 

 

Britney and Noelle shook on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Blue moon continues to rise! 
> 
> I'd like to take a minute to welcome a new writer to the world of PWF! InsertImaginativeNameHere is writing a phenomenal new story centering around Salazar Luis, talented grappler caught between worlds. I am so excited to have them both in our fun little world! I hope you enjoy reading that story as much as you do Sonya's!
> 
> As always, feedback is always welcome!


	25. Chapter 25: Promotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Noelle has her first match in the tournament, Britney and Sonya receive some huge news.

Sonya North was so nervous that she was doing backflips.

 

Literally.

 

She’d thought that she couldn’t get more nervous than when she’d had to open the Forge’s mixed tag match tournament. She’d been wrong, having to wait for one of her friend’s matches to begin was far worse. There were two matches each afternoon and today the first match would feature Noelle. Which was why Sonya was so nervous.

 

Bending her knees and then springing high into the air, Sonya rotated backward and landed with a thud on her feet. She then did a quick circuit of the ring before she did another flip. Britney Shane and Alexia England both looked on with bemused expressions on their faces.

 

“You are so weird,” Alexia said with a laugh. They were sitting, or in Sonya’s case standing in, one of the rings on the main floor. Several other students were there though Sonya was the only one in the ring.

 

“Sorry! I’m just so nervous!” Sonya said as she did yet another backflip.

 

“Relax Blue! Noelle will be fine!” Britney told her. This didn’t help Sonya’s nerves and a moment later she’d climbed one of the corners and had begun walking slowly along the ropes. Had she been a little less nervous she would have noted the number of people around the Forge who were looking very impressed by her display.

 

“Does she do this around the apartment?” Alexia asked Britney with a grin.

 

“If we had ropes I bet she would,” Britney said sardonically.

 

“Showing off more like,” Marie Diaz said in a teasing tone. She was sitting with Britney and Alexia. The Hispanic woman had lately been spending more time with Sonya and her friends as a result of her closest friend at the Forge, Danny Elliot, having to take significant time off due to an injury.

 

Britney snorted at this and Alexia chuckled. The truth was that Sonya was very nearly the least boastful person ever. This was less humility on her part and more a lack of self-confidence. She knew that she was getting better at this but it would be a long time before anyone would ever even call her ‘self-assured’ much less ‘boastful’.

 

“Yo, LM,” a rumbling voice called up to Sonya.

 

“Hi, John,” Sonya said without having to look up. There simply wasn’t anyone else in the forge with a voice that deep. John Crisom was Sonya’s tag partner in the mixed tag tournament. They had one their first match, the tournament opener, against Hannah Hunter and Joe Griffin. Now they got to sit back and wait to see who their next opponents would be.

 

“Sonya’s going stir crazy,” Britney said by way of greeting to the big man.

 

“Her and the little guy here,” Crisom said in a voice Sonya knew meant he was grinning.

 

“Keep calling me little and see what happens Shrek,” came the sour response. Sonya looked up to see Salazar Luis, one of her classmates and John’s close friend, standing beside her partner.

 

“Easy there Donkey!” Lance Douglas said as he walked past in a credible Scottish brogue.

 

“You think...you think you could teach me how to do that?” Sal asked Sony as she reached another corner and turned back the way she’d come.

 

“Umm...maybe?” Sonya had said tentatively. She didn’t know enough about Sal’s physical abilities to speak to that but the main reason she was hesitating was that she wasn’t very good at teaching. Most of what Sonya did, she couldn’t really explain in a way that was helpful to others. She just did the things she did, there wasn’t too much deliberate thought.

 

Before anyone else could speak the lights suddenly started to dim. Worried she might fall, Sonya quickly hopped down the from the ropes and hurried over to where Alexia and Britney were sitting.

 

“What’s happening?” she hissed, whispering as though she were worried everyone else on the main floor might be listening.

 

“Oh, I forgot, you weren’t here for this last time,” Britney answered.

 

“Here for what?”

 

“The promos!” Alexia whispered back. She followed this up by nodding toward a large screen set on one of the walls that had flickered to life. Before Sonya could say anything else the screen was suddenly filled with the images of Noelle standing next to a man with dark skin and long pitch black hair.

 

Both Noelle and the man were facing the camera with their hands on their hips. Both were looking down as music began to play. It took Sonya a moment to place the opening of the song. It was “That’s Not My Name” by the Ting Tings. As Sonya watched the first verse of the song began to play. Neither Noelle or the man next to her looked up at the camera. This continued until the song reached a specific point.

 

“ _But with nothing to consider, they forget my name…”_

 

At this point, the view shifted to a profile view of the man’s face. As the song played, listing different names, words began to appear on the screen in front of his face. They were ‘undersized’, ‘weak’, ‘small’, ‘overmatched’, and ‘out of his league’.

 

When the song transitioned to: “ _That’s not my name, that’s not my name, that’s not my name.”_ The view shifted to a head-on view of the man with the name ‘Omar Abdullah’ under his chin.

 

The same pattern repeated itself for Noelle. In her case, the first words were: ‘legacy’, ‘spoiled’, ‘pretty face’, ‘no talent’, and finally ‘handed everything’. This struck Sonya deeply. And she found herself smiling as she watched the transition to the shot of Noelle’s face and her name under it.

 

Sonya knew that Noelle’s number one insecurity was that she had reached her position in life due to her being the daughter of Mick Foley. The things listed in the promo were the ones that tormented her most. For her to put them all out there and so boldly declare that they weren’t her, they weren’t her name, filled Sonya with pride for her friend.

 

As the promo for Noelle and Omar’s opponents began Sonya turned to look at her friends. “That was really cool!” she hissed.

 

“Yeah...shit, now I feel like our promo is lame,” Alexia put in.

 

“Yeah...were we supposed to have music in them?” Diaz asked. Sonya had been worrying about this too, in her promo she hadn’t even spoken. But, realizing that this worry would be selfish right now, making the issue about her, she forced this aside. She’d stew later.

 

“Here they come!” Britney said excitedly as she pointed toward the locker rooms. Sure enough, Noelle and Omar had appeared, both beaming and walking toward the ring. Sonya was surprised to see how much taller than Omar, Noelle was. He seemed to be only a few inches taller than Sonya herself.

 

Abdullah was wearing a plain black sleeveless athletic top and shorts. His sneakers, elbow pads, and knee pads were all black as well. Noelle was wearing grey tights and a red top but something about her smiling energy seemed to make these colors pop more than they might otherwise have done.

 

Sonya waved to her and Noelle waved back as she passed. She and Abdullah then made their way into the ring and waited. Noelle stretching and Abdullah pacing. A moment later their opponents, Danielle Williams, and Garrett Mills appeared and also headed to the ring.

 

Sonya had once, briefly, wrestled Williams. In doing so she’d actually impressed a great many people although she was unaware of the fact. Williams was wearing read workout geat today, which matched that worn by her partner. Sonya hadn’t ever met Mills she just knew he’d played in the NFL for a while and now he was here trying to join the PWF. Nervous once more, Sonya had climbed a turnbuckle and was preparing to settle in to watch the match when she felt someone tap her arm.

 

“North, Shane, come with me please,” Dylan Crenshaw, one of the Forge instructors told them. Sonya and Britney exchanged a quick look with Alexia, who was looking alarmed. “Relax...” Crenshaw said, “...we just need you for a few minutes.”

 

“OK,” Britney said hesitantly as she stood and cast a quick look back at the ring where the match was about to begin. Sonya, whose insides were now churning like a storm-tossed sea, couldn’t manage even that. Her anxiety had just spiked to such a degree that she didn’t trust herself to open her mouth without throwing up. It was all she could do to hop down from the turnbuckle without tripping and then to follow Crenshaw.

 

“You know what this is about?” Britney asked her quietly as they walked. Sonya shook her head vigorously. She wanted to answer out loud but knew that she wouldn’t be able to do more than a squeak. Britney was very well attuned to other people’s moods but it didn’t take any great skill to see that Sonya was nervous. “Relax,” she told Sonya quietly.

 

This was like telling someone on fire to ‘cool off’. Sonya’s head had instantly gone to worst case scenarios, because it always did, and now she was fast approaching something like panic. She could feel her breath quickening and she even thought her vision might be narrowing slightly. She knew that given the slightest provocation she might lose her head entirely.

 

“Blue...Sonya are you alright?” Britney asked. She cast a look ahead of them and saw that Crenshaw had ducked into an office. Another quick look told them both it was Gail Kim’s office.

 

“I...no...I...I...have to go...I can’t...I,” Sonya was stammering as she began to look around her wildly. She was being kicked out, she knew it.

 

Her heart was pounding. She could feel sweat forming on her forehead. She recognized this experience, it was what had happened just before she had fainted in promo class. She needed to go, she needed to hide!

 

She was so lost in her own head that the slap caught her completely off guard.

 

It was the cracking sound that Britney’s hand made on her face that stunned her more than the actual impact. One moment she’d been concerned she might faint, the next her head was suddenly knocked to one side. Blinking eyes that had suddenly gone as wide as dinner plates,  Sonya turned back to Britney with a shocked expression.

 

“Wha-” she started to say but Britney took her by her shoulders in an iron grasp.

 

“GET A DAMNED GRIP!” Britney hissed at her as she looked quickly around to make sure they were alone.

 

“I-”

 

“Get...a...grip! You will be fine! Or you won’t! But regardless you melting down is NOT going to help you!” Britney almost snarled at Sonya. She’d never spoken to Sonya like this and the tone, more than words, cut right through Sonya’s panic.

 

“I...but-” Sonya stammered.

 

“No buts! Now take a deep breath, and then another, and when you’re calm we’re going in there TOGETHER. I have your back, understood?” Britney asked Sonya with a blazing intensity as she gave her the smallest of shakes.

 

“OK…” Sonya said in a tiny voice. Britney was very intimidating when she was this close and this firey. Britney glared at her a moment longer before releasing her and then beckoning for Sonya to follow. A few moments later they were standing across from Gail Kim as she worked at her desk.

 

“Have a seat you two,” Kim said without looking up from her work. Sonya and Britney complied but didn’t speak. The silence began to stretch and Sonya, once again feeling rising panic, began to fidget. After almost a minute had passed with no one talking Britney cleared her throat.

 

“Excuse me-” she started to say but Kim cut her off.

 

“Shane, I swear to god if you call me ‘ma’am’ again,” she warned. Britney, who had obviously been about to do just that, paused before continuing.

 

“Is there something you need from us?” she asked finally.

 

“North?” Kim said, apparently in reply.

 

“Yes?” Sonya squeaked.

 

“You’re awfully quiet, aren’t you curious when you’re here?” Kim asked her with a raised a eyebrow.

 

Swallowing hard Sonya recalled the conversation she’d had with Noelle at lunch the day the tournament had been announced as she said: “I...I always am?”

 

Crenshaw frowned at this and Kim gave Sonya a searching look that made her want to shrink down in her chair. But a moment later a grin broke out on her face as she said: “Well, I suppose you are.”

 

The release of tension that this remark caused on Sonya’s side of the table was comparable to a punctured zeppelin. Britney gave a short barking laugh and even Sonya managed to look up finally. She had a weak smile on her face that solidified when she saw Kim was grinning at her.

 

“I won’t torture you two any longer. I called you here because the staff and I have been discussing you two for a while now and we’ve made a decision that I think you will both like,” Kim said. Britney sat forward in her chair at this, she still looked cautious but now with a tinge of optimism.

 

“What is it?” she asked. Instead of answering directly Kim asked a question.

 

“You two are both almost done with your second cycle right?”

 

“Yes?” Britney answered.

 

“Well, the staff has decided that you two are much more advanced than your average second cycles. In fact, we don’t think you’ll have much to learn from the next few. So starting Monday you two are both going to report to the fifth cycle class.

 

Sonya was stunned. There were only six cycles in the standard Forge tenure. By promoting Britney and herself to the fifth cycle Kim was, in effect, putting them within a few months of potential promotion to Protege, the PWF’s developmental promotion. That would mean more intensive training but also touring and TV appearances.

 

Looking over at Britney she saw that her friend was equally aware of what had just happened.

 

Sonya couldn’t find her voice but Britney, who seemingly never had this problem, jumped to her feet and held out her hand to Kim saying: “Thank you so much! I...this is just...thank you!”

 

Sonya too stood and also offered her hand. She felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips that she couldn’t suppress, despite her long-standing habit of trying to do so.

 

She was truly floor by this news. On some level, it had been her dream since she was a child to wrestle at the highest level of the sport. What Kim was offering was a very nearly a clear path to that goal. This was the, unquestionably, the biggest moment in her professional life. And yet, something was bothering her. A few moment’s later she found out that it had been bothering Britney as well.

 

“If I can ask a question please?” she asked.

 

“Go ahead,” Crenshaw put in.

 

“It’s JUST us...being promoted?” Britney asked. Sonya had picked up on this as well, what did this mean for Noelle and Alexia? Kim seemed to sense what Britney was getting at as her face took on an understanding expression.

 

“JUST you two. Look, I know how close you two are with Foley and England and I have no doubt that they’ll get there eventually but we don’t promote people this far that often. You two are ready, they aren’t,” she said simply.

 

Sonya automatically wanted to protest this. She wanted to say that Alexia and Noelle were both phenomenal talents and equally deserving. She even felt like saying that they deserved it more than her. Sonya always did this sort of thing when she offered some kind of reward. She felt like saying all these things, but she didn’t.

 

It was a momentous moment for Sonya North.

 

Maybe it was the years of therapy finally kicking in or maybe it was just some of her newfound confidence asserting itself. Whatever it was, a light bulb came on. She suddenly realized that she was allowed to be happy for herself. That her receiving this promotion didn’t make her disloyal to her friends. They would still support each other, they would still celebrate each other, and they would still be friends.

 

Maybe she just deserved this.

 

She was far from perfect. Her episode in the hallway had proven that. But maybe she could trust the very smart and experienced people who instructed her and ran the Forge. Even if she wasn’t 100% sure, it could be enough that they were. Before Britney could speak, Sonya did.

 

“They will, they’re both incredibly talented,” she said quietly but in a voice that seemed to carry absolute convincton. A voice that made Britney, her best friend, look at her in surprise.

 

“They are,” Kim agreed. If she was surprised she didn’t show it but there was something knowing about her smile.

 

“Now, Foley’s match might still be going on. Get back out there you two,” Kim said as she looked back down at her desk.

 

“I’ll see you two Monday,” Crenshaw said as they walked past him. When they were both out in the hallway neither Sonya or Britney spoke as they walked back toward the main floor where they could hear the tournament still going on. As if by a pre-arranged signal, they both stopped just before the doors that would them back out to their classmates.

 

Britney held out a fist, which Sonya bumped.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, we've come so far with Sonya! I've got SO many big plans for her I just wish I had nothing but time to write them. But, this was a big step right?
> 
> As usual, I'd love your feedback on this story, it's a real labor of love. But we'd also still love for you to join this project! If you'd like to write in the PWF world just let me know!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	26. Chapter 26: Celebrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crew celebrates Sonya and Britney's promotions while Sonya makes another friend.

“Here to you, superstars!” Noelle Foley cried as she handed Sonya and Britney each a beer.

 

“You’ll want to be careful using that term in this company,” Alexia England pointed out from where she stood opposite Noelle.

 

“Good point!” Noelle laughed as they all clinked their drinks together.

 

Sonya and her friends were sitting around a high top in Brit’s Pub, a bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Well, the other three were all standing as they were tall enough to do so comfortably a high top. Sonya was sitting on a high stool, her legs dangling like a kid. This happened a lot when they all went out.

 

“Thank you, Barbie!” Britney Shane said happily. This was her affectionate nickname for Noelle who, for her part, recycled the names of various fictional robots and cyborgs for Britney.

 

The crew was out celebrating not only the news that Sonya and Britney were being promoted to a more advanced training cycle at the Forge but also the fact that Noelle had won her tournament match. It had been Sonya’s suggestion that they come to Brits. Being the only Minnesota native she was usually called upon for such suggestions

 

“And…” Noelle said in the tone of someone making a grand pronouncement as she nodded at Sonya and Britney “...because we’re out celebrating you two-”

 

“AND you!” Alexia and Sonya said together.

 

“...And me…” Noelle said with a gracious inclination of her head “...I won’t even comment on what either of you is wearing tonight!”

 

Britney made a face at her as she said: “Oh THANK YOU, your highness, you’re so gracious.”

 

“I am, aren’t I?” Noelle joked as she drank more of her beer.

 

“You look really nice Noelle,” Sonya pointed out with a smile. She hadn’t taken Noelle’s remark personally simply because she acknowledged that her friend knew far more about fashion than she did.’

 

“Thank you, Blue,” Noelle said happily as she gave the group a quick twirl.

 

“Oh god, don’t tell her that she’ll be insufferable,” Alexia muttered into her drink.

 

“I am ALWAYS insufferable, thank you,” Noelle told her mock seriously.

 

“So...you two…” Alexia said with a huge grin to Britney and Sonya “...can you even believe it?” As always, when Alexia was excited her British accent became more pronounced. Something that never failed to make Sonya smile. Still, she focused on her drink and allowed Britney to answer.

 

“It’s...it’s....really fucking cool,” she finally said, breaking into a grin even wider than Alexia’s.

 

Trainees at the Forge generally went through six full ‘cycles’ before they were considered for promotion to Protege. If the trainee was exceptional they might finish each cycle in under two months, but this rarely happened. Trainees didn’t get advanced until the instructors at the Forge felt they had truly grasped what they were being taught in each cycle. People often spoke of ‘their cycle’ to describe the class of trainee’s they entered with but these groups never stayed together completely.

 

Some students would advance quickly into subsequent cycles, others would take more time, some would even leave the Forge either due to being cut or of their own volition. The Crew had all entered the Forge at the same time. But now, for the first time, they wouldn’t be in the same cycle. Noelle and Alexia were just coming on up on their third, Britney and Sonya had just leapfrogged all the way to the fifth.

 

“I’m so proud of you two!” Alexia said as she wrapped an arm around Sonya and kissed the top of her head. Sonya blushed but didn’t protest, Alexia was the group's unofficial mom and as such tended to do this a lot.

 

“I just hope I can keep up with the people in the fifth cycle,” Britney said. She didn’t sound nervous, more eager than anything. This was more or less how she confronted every challenge.

 

“They wouldn’t have sent you up if they didn’t think you belonged,” Noelle said sagely.

 

“So what happens when you two get promoted to Protege?” Alexia asked curiously. Sonya wanted to know this too. All she knew was that, if chosen, you could progress from the Forge into the PWF’s developmental brand. She didn’t know anything about the process. All eyes turned to Noelle at this who usually had the answers to such questions. She was easily the most sociable of the group and as such tended to learn things from a wide array of people.

 

“Don’t look at me…” she said with a shrug “...I’m guessing you get a contract, you sign it, and then you report to the compound.”

 

‘The Compound’ was the PWF’s second developmental facility. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota (the Forge was in St. Paul, MN) it was the headquarters of Protege. There students would continue their training with more advanced instruction on the fine art of professional wrestling. It could be said that if the Forge turned out weapons, the Compound sharpened and tested them.

 

As the PWF’s main two brands, Alpha and Omega, constantly toured both domestically and internationally the PWF did it’s best to simulate that for the students at the compound. Protoge had it’s own, more limited, touring schedule. Newer students would spend most their time at the Compound but as they gained more and more experience they would spend more and more time away. Perhaps more importantly, as they toured they would be raising their profile with the PWF audience as these events were televised.

 

Sonya was thinking about all these things when she realized someone was speaking to her. “What?” she asked, looking up to find her friends all looking at her.

 

“I asked if you’re excited too Blue! You’re even more quiet than usual,” Noelle told her.

 

“Oh...yeah I’m...I’m really excited. I’m just...nevermind…” Sonya trailed off, looking down at ther drink.

 

“Oh come on Blue…” Britney said “...First, you know that we want to know. Second, you know we’re never going to let you get away with that.”

 

Smiling ruefully, Sonya looked up again and said: “I...I just wish you two were coming with us.”

 

“Aww...sweetie, don’t worry about us. We’ll be there soon enough,” Alexia told her, looking down at Sonya affectionately.

 

“Real talk time? I know that I’m not on the same level as you two right now,” Noelle said. Sonya opened her mouth to protest but Noelle held up a hand to stop her. “I didn’t say that I never would be, but Blue...you’re a superstar and Britney is a robot. Gotta give me some time!”

 

“You REALLY need new material,” Britney laughed as she gave Noelle an affectionate nudge.

 

“Why? Mine is great!” Noelle joked. Before anyone else could respond a shadow fell over the table.

 

“Hi, John,” Sonya said without turning around. She didn’t know anyone else that was tall enough to cast a shadow like that other than John Crisom.

 

“‘Sup ladies?” the big man said as he moved to stand between Noelle and Alexia. This only served to underline how big he was as Noelle was 6’0” and Alexia was 6’1” yet he towered over both.

 

“Glad you could make it! You ready to lose to me in pool yet?” Britney asked with a mischievous grin. Crisom laughed at this, a noise deep enough that Sonya thought she felt her chest vibrating.

 

“I’ll take your money, but I’m waiting on the little dude to get in. You know he’d be standing in the corner and not speaking to anyone if I didn’t bring him over,” Crisom said. The ‘little guy’ was Crisom’s close friend Salazar Luis, one of their fellow Forge students. He wasn’t actually ‘little’ he just seemed that way next to his friend.

 

Luis and Crisom made an odd pair in a lot of ways. Crisom had the easy good nature of a giant, a man who was conscious of the fact that he had little fear from most people. He loved to laugh his booming laugh and seemed to embody the cliche of the big teddy bear. In a lot of ways, he was a counterpart to Noelle.

 

Sal, on the other hand, was much more like Sonya. Quiet, content to stand off to the side and watch the world, and often very shy. This was perhaps the reason why Sonya hadn’t actually interacted with him very often even though she was John’s tag team partner at the moment. As Noelle had once famously said: ‘you two would have so much to NOT talk about’.

 

“Is he here?” Britney asked, looking around the bar with a frown.

 

“He’s putting his face on,” Crisom explained.

 

“Ah,”

 

This was obviously a reference to the makeup that Sal wore. While it obvious to the women that he wore the stuff daily they hadn’t ever actually learned WHY he did. It seemed plain that John knew but as he’d chosen to stay mum on the subject none of them had felt it right to ask. Sonya, as an intensely private person, just thought it was none of her business. Though this hadn’t stopped her friends from speculating.

 

“Lance is coming too right?” Noelle asked the group.

 

“Yeah, he’s bringing Kim,” Alexia answered quickly. Alexia had a crush on Lance Douglas, another of their fellow students. She’d received a great deal of ribbing over this from Noelle, though only slightly more than Sonya who had been completely oblivious to the fact until very recently. Britney, who didn’t much care for Lance, smiled nonetheless. She DID enjoy Kim Jon Su’s company.

 

“It’s not like motormouth to be late to a party,” Britney said as she looked around once more.

 

“Hey! Be nice tonight okay? For me?” Alexia pleaded. Britney rolled her eyes but held up her hands.

 

“I’ll be on my best behavior,” she said solemnly.

 

“What is your deal with Lance? He’s not a bad guy,” Noelle asked, not sounding accusing but more curious.

 

“He talks WAY too much,” Britney muttered into her drink. Sonya had always assumed this, or something like it, was the reason but she’d never had this guess confirmed before.

 

“That’s it?” Alexia asked, almost demanded, incredulously.

 

“That’s it,” Britney said before taking another drink. It was obvious she wanted to say more but equally obvious that she was going to respect her pledge to be on her best behavior. Before they could pursue this any further Sal came cautiously up the table, looking nervous. It was a somewhat surreal experience for Sonya to see this because she was self-aware enough to admit that it was usually her doing that.

 

“Hey Sal,” she said, awkwardly but no more than usual.

 

“Hey Sonya,” Sal said with matching awkwardness. The rest of the table had been watching this exchange and it was Noelle who reacted first.

 

“Aww...it’s like watching the opening of a middle school dance,” she teased.

 

“Shut up,” Sonya muttered as she took refuge in her drink.

 

“Shane’s about to lose to me in pool, you want to watch?” Crisom asked his friend.

 

“Nah, I”m just going to drink for a while,” Sal said, in a tone, Sonya recognized well. It was the tone of an introvert who was trying desperately to avoid being roped into a social situation with someone they didn’t know.

 

“Your loss, you ready to do this lady?” Crisom asked Britney.

 

“I take cash only…” she said and then turned quickly to hold up a finger to Noelle “...NOT ONE WORD!” Noelle looked away and sipped her drink primly as the pool players left. At the exact moment, Lance and Kim arrived.

 

“The party is here!...” Lance said enthusiastically before jerking his thumb and Kim and adding: “...And by that, I mean Kim of course. The silent, brooding, moody party!”

 

“You are VERY amusing,” Kim said tersely.

 

“I am aren’t I,” Lance answered quickly as he gave his friend a nudge with his elbow.

 

“Hey Lance, I have a question for you,” Noelle said suddenly.

 

“I might even have an answer for you,”

 

“Sonya tells me you’re a stand-up comedian?”

 

“I try, sometimes I’m even funny. Ask Kim!”

 

“Rarely,” Kim said before walking off to watch Britney and John play pool.

 

“See? That counts!” Lance laughed.

 

“Did you know I have a Youtube channel?” Noelle asked him.

 

“I do now.”

 

“Would you want to do a video with me? I want to do a kind of Q&A about Forge stuff for my viewers,” Noelle explained.

 

“Sure, I mean I’ll have to find some time when I can drop my sister off somewhere but yeah I’m in,” Lance said happily.

 

“Lex, I assume you’d be willing too,” Noelle said in a particular tone that all the women present picked up on.

 

“Yes! I mean...yeah sure that should be fun,” Alexia said, mostly failing to seem casual. As they launched into a discussion of these plans Sonya, as she occasionally did, took a small sketch pad from her bag and began to doodle.

 

Sonya had enjoyed drawing from a young age, yet another hobby that kept her on her own. Her interest had waxed and waned as an adult but recently she’d gotten back into it. Today she was drawing sketches of spaceships that had sprung into her mind out of nowhere.

 

She was so focused on this that she didn’t even notice when Lance asked: “Uh, should we ask Sonya to join us?”

 

Or when Noelle answered: “When she has that pad out she’s not going anywhere. Watch….poop, explosion, kumquat, raptor, fishing pole! See? Nothing.”

 

It was only when put the finishing touches on a ship’s ventral fin that she looked up and realized she was alone. But this didn’t last. She was still looking around when a voice asked from behind her: “Can I see?” Twisting in her seat Sonya found herself facing Sal.

 

“Umm...I’m not very good…” Sonya muttered, trying to take refuge in her drink but finding that it was empty. No sooner had she discovered this than a bottle suddenly appeared under her nose. Sal had apparently gotten her another drink. “Thanks,” she muttered.

 

“ _Oh my god! Why are you so awkward!”_ she shouted at herself internally.

 

“No problem,” Sal said. Sonya took some comfort from the fact that he didn’t sound much more comfortable than she did. Knowing enough to realize that they were in danger of descending into an uncomfortable silence Sonya cast about desperately for something to say or do. In desperation, she slid her sketch pad toward him, despite the fact that she rarely let others see her work.

 

Sal took the pad and looked down at it curiously. Sonya took refuge in a few sips of her beer but was growing increasingly nervous the longer Sal looked. He still hadn’t spoken and to Sonya this automatically translated as he must hate what he was seeing. She was already planning her graceful (or not) escape from the conversation when he finally spoke.

 

“These are really good,” he said, finally looking up with a lopsided grin.

 

“I-...what?” Sonya asked, she’d been preparing a disclaimer and this response caught her off guard.

 

“I really like them!” Sal said, speaking more enthusiastically than Sonya had ever heard. “Yeah, they remind of these things called Star Saber XC-01’s from…” Sal had been speaking eagerly but trailed off as he seemed to think he’d said too much.

 

“From Star Wars?” Sonya finished incredulously. She had never met anyone else who would have known about this particular obscure lore item.

 

“Yeah....” Sal said, sounding as surprised as Sonya felt “...you know about that?”

 

“I...uh...I really like Stars Wars,” Sonya said, blushing.

 

“Me too!” Sal said eagerly but then added: “...but legends canon of course!” at the exact same time that Sonya said it. They both laughed nervously before launching into a long and technical discussion on the merits of the previous Star Wars expanded universe. After awhile Britney and John came back over to join them, though they didn’t have much to add to the power nerding.

 

Later, during the drive home, Britney said: “You’re still grinning you know, you must have had a good time.”

 

“I kinda did,” Sonya said with a happy nod.

 

“You nervous about Monday?” Britney asked. Sonya understood why Britney was asking, it was more than a pleasantry. Sonya struggled with new experiences normally. But now, she found that she wasn’t that worried.

 

“I was...but we got this,” she said as she turned and gave Britney a grin that would have been cocky on anyone else.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOOOOOOOO many projects going on but as my good friend RileySavage7 reminded me, nothing should ever keep me from the Blue Moon!
> 
> Some behind the scenes stuff here: I have SOOOOOOOOO many ideas for Sonya in Protege and on the main roster that I can't wait to share with you all! So stick with me, there's more to come!
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading!


	27. Chapter 27: She's a Character

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya advances in the Forge tournament before learning more about how the PWF views her future. She's then confronted with a tough request.

“You ready LM?” 

 

“Yeah...yeah...I think so,” Sonya North answered her partner, John Crisom. There were ready for their quarterfinals match in the Forge’s mixed tag tournament. They were standing off to one side as their opponents, Sato Taka and Chase Williams, entered the ring.

 

She had the familiar butterfly feelings she always did when she was preparing for a match. They even have been a bit worse than usual simply because there was more riding on this match. If they won they’d end up in the semi-finals. Sonya had to admit to herself that she’d never anticipated this possibility. She’d thought she and John were doing a good thing by entering but she hadn’t ever anticipated any kind of run.

 

“Hey…” Crisom told her, his deep voice making Sonya feel as though her skeleton was rattling “...We got this LM.” LM was his nickname for Sonya, it was short of little moon.

 

“Yeah, sure…” Sonya squeaked. She was always something of a wreck before she performed in front of even the smallest crowd. She doubted she’d ever get to a point where she wasn’t.

 

“Yo check it!” Crisom whispered as the lights dimmed once again and one the massive wall screens came to life. It was playing the promo she and John and recorded the day before with Goose.

 

The screen opened with a shot of Sonya’s back. After a few moments, Sonya’s voice began to boom out from speakers around the room. As it spoke, text began to appear on the screen. “ _ One day, a girl was out walking the woods _ .” As the voice-over continued the Sonya on the screen began walking slowly away from the camera. As she did, the scene shifted around her, morphing into dark trees.

 

“ _ The girl got lost, but she wasn’t afraid,”  _ the narration continued as the Sonya on the screen looked around her with a look curiosity. 

 

“ _ You see, under the blue moon that night...she met a friend,”  _ the narration concluded as the camera seemed to pan up to reveal a blue crescent moon. The scene shifted to a view of Sonya sitting cross-legged and smiling beatifically at the camera before held up on the index finger and point upward. The camera slowly panned up, and up, until it finally revealed the grim visage of John Crisom. Sonya found this odd, to see John looking so scary, given that she knew he was actually a gentle soul.

 

“Ready to go?” Crisom asked as the promo ended.

 

“Ready,” Sonya said quietly as she waited for John to kneel.

 

The ensuing match was actually very short. Sonya’s ride to the ring on John’s shoulder felt like it took much longer. Their opponents were Chase Williams and Sato Taka. Sonya didn’t know them well, only that they were fourth cycle students and that Taka was Japan. Taka was probably a very skilled wrestler but she was also the reason why the match was so quick. She made a mistake.

 

She and Sonya began the match in the ring and as soon as the bell rang she charged toward Sonya like a bull. Sonya was surprised but quickly recovered and simply hopped to one side. As soon as she landed she had to duck under an attempted lariat that might have sent her careening had it connected. But, as it had missed, Taka found herself in a very vulnerable position. 

 

Sonya seized her opportunity. 

 

As Taka’s momentum carried her past Sonya, she simply ducked into the other woman’s body. Catching Taka’s head in a firm grip over her right shoulder Sonya bent her knees, and sprang with all the might she had in her legs. This was enough to send her sailing upward in a long, slow, backward arc up and over Taka. It was a textbook Shiranui but rather than simply drive Taka down the mat, Sonya tried something that Yoshihiro Asai had suggested. Ordinarily the move ended in something like a reverse DDT, instead, Sonya held on as she landed in a sitting position.

 

The impact jarred up her spine but she ignored this as she quickly snaked an arm around and over Taka’s neck. The result was that Sonya ended with the other woman trapped in a dragon sleeper in the middle of the ring. As soon as Sonya was able to fully scissor her legs around Taka’s midsection, the issue wasn’t in any more doubt. It was only about ten seconds later before the Japanese woman was tapping. 

 

Unlike her last match, there wasn’t much applause at this. Understandable, people had come hoping for a show and Sonya had deprived them of it. She actually felt very awkward as she released Taka and then slid out from under her. The Japanese woman sat up dejectedly and put her head in her hands as she did. Sonya was just about to say something when Taka turned and said something in rapid Japanese before rolling out of the ring.

 

Sonya was looking after her when she suddenly felt hands the side of spades under her arms. A moment later she hoised off the ground with the same ease that a lion might lift its cub. And this was nothing on the rib crunching hug she received a moment later from behind. “Yo! That was fucking dope as hell!” Crisom was saying into her ear.

 

Had Sonya wanted to she couldn’t have replied, she was out of air.

 

“Oye! Put her down you big  _ zoquete!” _ someone said from somewhere behind Sonya. A few moments later she was dropped back to the ring.

 

“Sorry Sonya, you alright?” Crisom asked her. Sonya was trying to gather air for a response but then John patted her on the back. This gesture, however well-meaning, took on a different sort of significance when it came from someone as large as Sonya’s tag partner. She was just glad she managed to avoid being dropped to her knees.

 

“Will you stop trying to kill her  _ idiota!”  _ the same voice that had spoken before said. It took Sonya moment to realize that it was Sal. “Are you alright?” he asked as he knelt beside her.

 

“I’m...I’m fine…” Sonya said, undercutting herself by coughing as she answered.

 

“You really need to be more careful,” Noelle’s voice said from above her. A moment later Sonya found herself being helped to her feet by Noelle and Britney.

 

“It’s OK,” Sonya said as she turned around and gave John a quick hug which he returned more gently this time.

 

“Alright clear out! We have another match starting!” Ken Shamrock snapped at the group. As usual, this voice acted like the crack of a whip on his students and they all hurried out of the ring.

 

“Well, that didn’t take long,” Noelle commented when they’d all retreated to the back of the crowd assembling for the next match.

 

“Blue had somewhere to be I guess,” Britney teased.

 

“I...I got lucky,” Sonya muttered.

 

“That was more than luck  _ chica…”  _ Marie Diaz, a new friend, put in “...Taka won titles in Japan and Sonya just made her look stupid!”

 

Sonya blinked at this news. She hadn’t known this about the other student but some learning it now made her feel nervous. Would Taka hold a grudge? 

 

“Well Sonya’s held titles here so I guess it only makes sense,” Noelle said as she put a hand on Sonya’s shoulder.

 

“You have?” Diaz asked, sounding intrigued. 

 

“A few,” Sonya muttered, as ever uncomfortable talking about herself.

 

“She’s a six-time women’s champion!” a voice suddenly cut in. All eyes turned to Sal who looked as surprised as any of them that he’d spoken up. As the gazes stayed on him he looked down and said: “I...I was a fan when you were in the indies.”

 

This made Sonya blush furiously as she tugged at the hem of her shirt. Looking back and forth between the of them Noelle said: “Oh lord, the amount of awkward going on here is insane!” Fortunately, Sonya was saved from having to answer this by the arrival of Scott Levy. The instructor had suddenly appeared behind them and when he cleared his throat they all jumped.

 

“North, since you finished so quickly you and Shane can come to talk to me now,” he said as he beckoned for them to follow him.

 

“What about sir?” Britney asked respectfully. It was always ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ when she addressed an instructor. Except for Gail Kim who had forbidden the practice.

 

“You two just got promoted a long way, that means we need to compress a lot of character work into a short time. We’re going to get started,” Levy said. 

 

Sonya gulped at this. Her earliest forays into character work had gone spectacularly badly. She’d even fainted once in promo class. But she knew this wasn’t really a situation where she got to say no. So she nodded and set off at Britney and Levy as they walked to the latter’s office. When they arrived and settled in front of his desk Levy put on some glasses and gestured toward some papers on his desk.

 

“These are your new character sheets, Shane you’ll see that not much has changed but we’ve been working on some mannerisms and signatures. North, yours is entirely new and I’ve tried incorporating some of the ideas you gave me when you stormed in here to do some shouting,” Levy said flatly. Sonya flushed at this, remembering the day she’d finally gotten rid of ‘Grasshopper girl’.

 

Britney reached forward for her sheet without delay but Sonya hesitated for a moment. What would happen if she ended up with another character that didn’t work for her? She wasn’t sure she could ever again muster the strength to confront Levy as she had before. But Levy gave her an impatient look so she finally reached out to take the paper. Her hands trembling slightly she turned it over and began to read.

 

All in all, it wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d feared.

 

The general character direction wasn’t that far off from Sonya’s own ideas. She had hoped that she might actually incorporate NOT talking into her character. She’d been aiming for a vibe like a mysterious sort of sprite from any number of fantasy stories. A character you might only see in a flash before they darted out of sight with a happy giggle. Someone you would see in the distance through the trees but as you approached she’d vanish.

 

She actually loved one of the things that Levy had added which was that Sonya could approach the ring wearing a blue hooded cloak. She was even happier to see that the Forge staff were suggesting that she and Britney begin their PWF careers as a tag team. This would be perfect for her. She was less enthused by a final note at the bottom of the sheet that read:  _ The team vibe should be that Shane is the dominant athlete and North is her nerdy friend. _

 

She wasn’t even sure why this bothered her right now. It was an accurate reflection of their reality as Sonya saw it. But for some reason the words made her feel...uneasy. She’d have to ask Britney how she felt about the idea later. 

 

“Any questions or concerns?” Levy asked them.

 

“ _ Tell him!”  _ a small voice shouted in Sonya’s head. But for once, she countered it by asking: “ _ Tell him what?”  _ She wasn’t even sure how she felt about it yet.

 

“I have a question, sir,” Britney asked, thankfully sparing Sonya having to articulate one.

 

“Go on.”

 

“I love the idea of teaming with Bl-...err Sonya. But this makes it seem like I’ll be the sole mouthpiece of the team and I don’t know that I like that,” Britney said bluntly. Sonya was constantly impressed by how self-assured her friend was but at this moment she really wished she hadn’t said that. She was thrilled by the idea that she’d be able to focus on wrestling and not have to hold a mic. 

 

“I’ll be blunt with you Shane. North is one of the WORST talkers we’ve ever had come through the Forge,” Raven said, without looking over at Sonya. 

 

Sonya felt as though she’d just been stabbed in the stomach. She actually didn’t disagree entirely but to hear to stated so bluntly by one of their instructors. She could also see that Britney was affronted on her behalf. SHe knew that Britney was in danger of saying something stupid so she put a hand on her friend’s arm. 

 

Levy, who hadn’t noticed this, went on saying “...but she’s also one of the most talented in-ring prospects to EVER come through these doors. So are you. We want to team together because we hope you can make each other even better. But for NOW, until some of your mic ability rubs off on her, you’re going to need to carry the lions share of the promo work.”

 

Sonya was left dealing with a very convoluted mixture of emotions at this. On one hand, she was still reeling slightly from Levy’s comment on her talking. On the other, she was having to work hard to keep a stupid grin off her face at his assessment of her in-ring skills. She looked over quickly to see that Britney wasn’t looking convinced.

 

“Brit, it’s alright, he’s right,” she assured her friend.

 

“You’re lucky North. You have enough in-ring game where you can overcome your mic problems. We think that your ariel skills can let you tell a story in the ring without having to actually tell it,” Levy explained to Sonya but she got the sense he was also speaking for Britney’s benefit.

 

Sonya looked over nervously at her best friend. She was worried that Britney might still want to make an issue of it. She was even more worried that if she did, it might ruin their chance to team together. She couldn’t think of anything she’d want to do more than begin her time in the PWF teaming with her best friend.

 

To her relief, Britney gave a tight sort of nod after a few seconds. Sonya knew Britney well enough to understand her body language better than Levy could. This meant that, while Britney was accepting what she was told, she wasn’t actually happy about it. Sonya let out a silent sigh of relief at this.

 

“North? Any questions or concerns?” Levy asked as she turned to look at Sonya.

 

She was on the spot now. She tried to figure out how best to articulate how she felt about the final note on her paper. The probably was that her own brain rarely told her clearly how she was feeling. A vague sort of unease was unlikely to impress Levy enough to make him change a character he’d created. Unable to think of any way to communicate her feelings Sonya had to knuckle under.

 

“No,” she said simply.

 

“Very well, tomorrow morning your morning sessions will be with Jessica Kresa. She’ll work with you on trying to smooth out these ideas into some actual characters,” Levy said before looking back at his computer. This was there obvious cue to leave.

 

Sonya was actually quite delighted to hear this news. Jessica Kresa, known as ODB during her time in Impact, had actually been one of her instructors at wrestling school. She’d know that she did some work for the Forge but she hadn’t run into her yet. She’d always worked with the older woman and she hoped that it would make tomorrows session easier.

 

“Something bothered you in there Blue,” Britney suddenly said beside her. Sonya blinked at this as she looked over at her friend.

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“I could tell something was bothering you. Why didn’t you speak up?” Britney asked.

 

“Uh...I couldn’t? I don’t really know what was bothering me. Something just felt weird? But I didn’t know how to explain it,” Sonya said awkwardly.

 

“I see,” Britney said in a tone that made clear that she didn’t. If Sonya could find any fault with her friend it was that Britney sometimes forgot that not everyone approached life with her boundless confidence. She often forgot that what she did easily wasn’t always as simple for others.

 

“It will be fine,” Sonya assured her with a faint smile. Britney tried to return it but it was obvious she wasn’t convinced. They walked in silence to the locker rooms where they found many of the Forge students changing to go home. When Sonya opened her locker she automatically checked her phone and was surprised to find a missed call. As someone who didn’t cultivate a wide acquaintance, this was odd for her. 

 

Noelle, who was at the locker next to Sonya, saw her frowning and asked: “Everything OK, Blue?”

 

“I think so? It’s just one of the old promotions I used to wrestler for tried to call me twice today,” Sonya said quizzically. 

 

“Really? What did they want?” Noelle asked as Britney and Alexia both looked on curiously.

 

“I don’t know, the voicemail just says I should call him,” Sonya said uncertainly as she looked down at the transcription of the message.

 

“Do they know you’re at the Forge?” Alexia asked.

 

“Yeah...my old boss...he...he was the one who convinced me to come here,” Sonya said, remembering the conversation with Ian Black. The owner and operator of Steel Domain Wrestling, and a man who had been something of a mentor to her.

 

“Well you better call him on the way home,” Britney suggested.

 

Sonya nodded at this and when they were both in Britney’s car fifteen minutes later she hit redial and held her phone to her ear. It rang three times before she got an answer.

 

“ _ Hello?”  _ asked a familiar voice that made Sonya smile.

 

“Hi, Ian, how are you?” Sonya asked.

 

“ _ Sonya! Hey there! I’m OK thank for asking. Double thanks for returning my call, you must be busy now that you’re a superstar!”  _ Ian said happily.

 

“I’m not a superstar Ian,” Sonya said, blushing a little.

 

“ _ You’re right, you always were!”  _ Ian countered quickly. Britney, who could partially hear what he was saying in the silent car, grinned at this. A moment later she started the car but didn’t put in gear. Instead, she used the car’s center console to open it’s Bluetooth menu. 

 

“Ian I-,” Sonya started to say but then she noticed what Britney was doing. She looked over at her friend and mouthed: “What are you doing?” But Britney just grinned and a moment later she’d connected Sonya’s phone to the car’s Bluetooth.

 

“I’m nosy,” Britney mouthed back.

 

“ _ Hello? Sonya?”  _ Ian’s voice suddenly sounded inside the car. Sonya shot Britney an exasperated look at this.

 

“Hi, Ian, sorry I was just...connecting you to the car,” she said, awkwardly.

 

“ _ Nice...you’ve come a long way from that hooptie you used to drive!”  _ Ian said enthusiastically. Sonya did, in fact, still drive the car in question but she didn’t say anything.

 

“I’m sorry I missed your call earlier Ian, what did you need?” she asked, trying to move the conversation forward.

 

“ _ Well…” _ her mentor said, suddenly sounding almost sad. This caught Sonya’s attention as she glanced sharply at Britney before turning to look at the console as though expecting to find Ian’s face there. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Sonya asked, dreading the answers.

 

“ _ Oh nothing, I’m just retiring here soon,”  _ Ian said. Sonya let out a sigh she hoped Ian hadn’t heard at this. She’d been worried it was something much worse. But as soon as she had her curiosity piqued again.

 

“I...that’s good?” Sonya asked.

 

“The  _ hell it’s good! The wife want’s me too but I’m going to be bored out of my mind Sonya!”  _ Ian said sharply. Britney had to hold a hand over her mouth not to laugh at this.

 

“I’m sorry? What did you want me to do?” Sonya asked somewhat helplessly.

 

“ _ Well, I called to see if you’d do me a favor…”  _ Ian said, sounding awkward for almost the first time that Sonya could remember.

 

“Uh, OK. Name it and I’ll try,” Sonya answered.

 

“ _ My last show in charge of SDW will be coming up here at the end of the week. I was wondering if you’d be willing to make an appearance,”  _ Ian asked before adding: “ _ Maybe you could work a match?” _

 

“OK,” Sonya said automatically. She owed Ian a lot and was happy to help him out. But her eagerness dimmed as Britney shot her a very significant look. A moment later her friend muted the call.

 

“Blue!...” she hissed “...don’t you remember the contracts we all signed? You’re not allowed to do any work for another promotion!” Sonya’s heart fell at this reminder. She had forgotten this fact. Reaching forward to unmute the call she prepared herself to give bad news. Something she HATED doing.

 

“Ian?” she asked.

 

“ _ Yeah, Sonya?” _

 

“I...I’m not sure I can. I just remembered that my contract with the Forge...I…” she trailed off feeling horrible.

 

“ _ Oh...I see…”  _ Ian said. What made it worse for Sonya was how he tried and failed to hide the disappointment in his voice. “ _ Well, maybe you could just come by as you? I’d still love to see you again kiddo,”  _ he suggested finally.

 

“Yeah! Definitely, I’ll make some time. I’m sorry Ian,” Sonya said, still feeling wretched.

 

“ _ Don’t feel sorry, you gotta prioritize things Sonya. I wouldn’t want you jeopardizing your shot at the big time for me,”  _ Ian said gently. This actually made Sonya feel worse.

 

“Send me the details OK?” she asked helplessly.

 

“ _ Sure thing Sonya, I’ll leave a ticket at the gate for you,”  _ Ian said.

 

“OK, bye Ian,” Sonya said, trying to sound happy for him. 

 

“ _ See you soon kiddo.” _

 

A moment later he was gone, leaving Sonya feeling like a heel for the first time in her wrestling career. She sank down in her seat and put a hand over her eyes for a few moments. It was only then that she realized the car had been turned off. Removing her hand she looked over to find Britney studying her intently.

 

“What?” she asked, her curiosity overcoming some of her guilt. 

 

“We HAVE to make it so you can wrestle at that event,” Britney said flatly. Stating it as though she’d just explained that 1 + 1 made 2.

 

“Brit, you just said-” Sonya started to answer but Britney held up a hand.

 

“I know what I said, but we’re going to find a way. This might take some serious convincing so I think we need to bring in the big guns,” she said before turning back to her center console. 

 

“Call, Noelle Foley,” she said.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!
> 
> TWENTY-SEVEN CHAPTER! OML we've done a thing together! Sonya is my first OC who has her own fic and I am so privileged to get to write her story. I'm even more honored that you all chose to read it! If you like it please consider bookmarking the story and I always love your comments!
> 
> Today's chapter! Sonya just DOMINATED that match, didn't she? And who saw it coming that our girl has a deadly submission? What did you think of Sonya and Britney's character ideas? What should their tag team be called? Will Sonya get to help out Ian?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	28. Chapter 28: Lessons Learned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya is forced to stand on her own if she wants to help her friend.

Gail Kim didn’t look up as she asked: “And why are you here Foley?”

 

“I’m here because I think Britney and Sonya have a great idea and I wanted to support them,” Noelle said smoothly. Sonya was reminded once more why they’d asked Noelle to come along. Sonya wasn’t good at talking to anyone and Britney, while confident, wasn’t the best persuasive speaker. 

 

“I see…” Kim said, sounding as though she didn’t believe a word of what she’d been told.

 

Sonya and her friends were standing in in front of Kim’s desk in her small office at the Forge. They’d come to ask the head female instructor for a favor. Sonya would have been nervous about this in itself. But the nature of the favor was enough to set her stomach churning at double speed.

 

Sonya had recently been approached by her mentor and former boss, Ian Black, who had sounded her out about making a special appearance at his independent promotion. Sonya had actually gotten her start there and it was Ian’s retirement show. After decades leading his little promotion, he was finally stepping down and he’d asked his most distinguished alumni, Sonya, to make an appearance. 

 

But there was a fairly major problem.

 

The contracts Sonya, and all the other students at the Forge had to sign upon entering specifically prohibited them from working for other companies. Even tiny ones. BUT, there was a workaround of sorts. One of the PWF’s current top stars, Tatami Yukimura, had entered the Forge with a great deal of reputation overseas. The PWF had been proud to sign the ‘hottest free agent’ in wrestling but they’d had to accommodate him. Specifically, he’d been allowed to work several dates back in Japan to finish out his previous contract. 

 

Sonya did have nearly that reputation, but she was clinging to the precedent as some small sliver of hope. 

 

“OK, so North, you’re here because you want the favor. Shane, you’re here because you support her. And, Foley, you’re here because Shane isn’t good at solving problems she can’t punch her way out of and North isn’t good at talking in general?” Kim asked impatiently. Sonya felt like she should have been offended but she didn’t disagree with Kim’s sentiments about her.

 

“I-” Britney began to interject but Noelle jumped in first.

 

“If you like…” she said, her smile never wavering “...but my friend’s communication skills, or lack thereof, doesn’t change that this is a win for you too.”

 

Kim finally looked up with an impatient look on her face. She had a mountain of paperwork on her desk and looked decided annoyed at being interrupted. “Quiet Foley, you’re not selling me a used car,” Kim said as she shot a glare at Noelle. Sonya looked over at her friend and saw that Noelle did look a little miffed at this but she was obviously going to clam up. Kim regarded them evenly for a few moments before saying: “Shane, Foley, OUT.”

 

Sonya’s eyes widened at this as she looked quickly from side to side. Britney was looked concerned while Noelle was clearly trying to seem the opposite. There was a short pause before they both turned to leave. This stoked the anxiety in Sonya’s gut to a fever pitch, she was almost panicking at the idea of being left alone with an obviously annoyed Gail Kim. Britney gave her a rueful look before she closed the door.

 

“Sit down North,” Kim said as she looked back down at her work. Sonya did as she was told and sat. But Kim showed no inclination to break the silence, simply working on. This silence stretched to a minute, and then more. It was only when it had been nearly five minutes before Sonya cleared her throat.

 

“Umm...Miss-” then Sonya remembered how Kim felt about being called ‘miss’ or ‘ma’am’ “...ah...Gail?”

 

“Miss Kim is fine North, I just don’t like ma’am,” Kim said without looking up.

 

“OK...umm...Miss Kim?” Sonya asked.

 

“It took you almost five minutes to speak up North, don’t fumble now,”

 

Sonya flushed and swallowed hard. She liked to think that she’d made some good progress in her confidence in recent weeks but Kim’s harsh voice was sending her right back to where she’d started from. Her palms were sweating already and the words just didn’t seem to want to come. She knew the silence was stretching too long but she just couldn’t force the words out. 

 

“I-” was all she managed to do before he throat almost closed.

 

Kim sighed heavily, suddenly seeming to deflate and go from menacing to tired. Looking up at Sonya she asked: “Do you know why I’m disappointed in you right now North?”

 

This question, spoken so matter of factly hit Sonya like a bucket of ice cold water. All her old insecurities surged up within her at the thought of Gail Kim being disappointed in her. The problem was that Sonya’s usual response to this sort of thing was to retreat into herself. But she knew that wasn’t an option here.

 

“No,” she said in a minuscule voice.

 

Kim regarded her flatly for a moment before she sighed again. “Look, I have sympathy for you on a personal level Sonya. Anxiety like what you deal with can’t be easy to deal with.”

 

“It’s not,” Sonya said bleakly, looking down again.

 

“But you picked this business, knowing what it was like. And you have SO MUCH talent, you could be better than I ever was. I mean that. But you HAVE to LET yourself succeed,” Kim said, her voice picking up passion as she spoke.

 

“I-” Sonya tried to interject only to be ridden over.

 

“NO, you just listen!...” Kim snapped, suddenly leaning forward over the desk “...I know that you struggle with some things. But you will NEVER get better at them if you don’t TRY to. The fact that you let Shane and Foley come in here with you, FOR you, is a big let down to me. Maybe you’d come in here and make a bad case, maybe not. But you didn’t even TRY, you ran to find someone who would do it for you. You took the easy way out and THAT….should disappoint you as much as it does me.”

 

Sonya felt like crying, she didn’t and wouldn’t, but she wanted to so badly. Everything Kim was saying was true, she knew it. She’d even been wondered why Britney was so eager to come along with her today. Now she knew, Britney though Sonya couldn’t handle things on her own. And maybe she couldn’t.

 

“I’m-” she started to say but Kim slapped her desk.

 

“Damn it North! Don’t apologize! You came here for a reason! If you want something, then tell me and make your case!” Kim said, almost shouting. Sonya almost jumped out of her chair at this but managed control herself. Kim was glaring at her and her mind was blank. The panic began to rise inside her again. She guessed that Kim was moments from kicking her out of her office.

 

“ _ STOP!”  _ a voice suddenly roared in her own head. Sonya was surprised enough that she knew it was showing on her face. Sonya often had small ‘voice’ in her head, and it usually told her negative things. So this was normal in and of itself. But it was unusual for it to be so forceful in this way.

 

Sonya briefly entertained the idea that this might be the sign of incipient madness. But then she a light came on in her head. A sense of what the voice might be trying to tell her. 

 

STOP telling yourself what you can’t do.

 

Feeling a very alien sense of sudden calm, Sonya took a deep breath and said: “I...I am sorry for disappointing you. But, I do think that you should hear me out on doing Ian’s show.” As she spoke she noticed that her voice had steadied greatly, and even seemed slightly deeper.

 

Kim raised an eyebrow at her and simply asked: “Why should I?”

 

So Sonya told her.

 

Sonya emerged several minutes later, feeling as though she were coming down off an enormous adrenaline surge. Her legs were actually feeling tired as she ran into Britney and Noelle who were still waiting outside.

 

“That...sounded rough,” Noelle said hesitantly as she looked Sonya up and down.

 

“It was,” Sonya said wearily as she walked across the hall and sat heavily on a bench.

 

“Are you alright?” Britney asked.

 

“I...I think I am actually,” Sonya said, surprising herself by realizing she meant it.

 

“So...how did it go? I mean with the permission?” Britney asked.

 

Sonya didn’t answer directly, instead, a small smile just began to spread across her face. Britney and Noelle exchanged an incredulous look, as though they couldn’t believe what this signified. 

 

That evening, after their training, was over, Sonya was sitting at her kitchen table with Marie while Britney was doing her evening workout. Sonya was drawing and Marie was watching Britney.

 

“You do this every night?” Marie asked. As the newest member of the crew, she wasn’t yet fully aware of how frenetically Britney trained. 

 

“Yep…sometimes more…” Britney said, she was doing situps and only responded each time she was upright. 

 

“And how much more do you have left?” 

 

“Probably...about an hour,” Britney answered.

 

“Damn...I thought Noelle was exaggerating,” Marie said, sounding impressed.

 

“She probably was,” Britney said shortly.

 

“Right…” Marie said as comprehension dawned on her face “...I thought she was trying to mess with me when she said you did five hundred situps a night.”

 

“No, that’s true,” Sonya said distractedly. She was struggling to draw a character’s calf, she always did.

 

“What? You’re so full of shit,” Marie said. But when Sonya didn’t look up from her pad and Britney just kept on working some of the certainty left her face.

 

“Where....are….the girls?” Britney asked from the floor.

 

“They’re doing some kind of video for Noelle’s channel,” Diaz said as she returned to watching Britney. Noelle had a youtube channel that actually had a large following, no doubt something that had appealed to the PWF when they’d signed her. She’d been doing small videos about her time at the Forge and had obviously convinced Alexia to appear on one.

 

“AND…” Marie said with the air of someone sitting on big news “...Lance is over.” This drew a derisive snort from Britney and managed to make Sonya grin. Alexia had a crush on Lance Douglas but she was waiting to see if Lance would make some kind of move. Sonya could fully appreciate this, she knew that if she had a crush on someone she would have been mortified to make the first move and find out the feelings weren’t shared.

 

“Lex deserves so much better,” Britney grunted as she continued to work out.

 

“Be nice!” Sonya told her. She spoke much more sharply than she usually did for two reasons. First, she was still riding the wave from her conversation with Gail Kim. But it was also that she was just more comfortable with Britney than anyone else.

 

“I haven’t said anything to her or him in weeks!” Britney complained.

 

“He’s sweet and he’s really funny,” Sonya said insistently.

 

“And...he’s pretty hot,” Marie said with a shrug.

 

“Sort, that’s subjective, and eww,” Britney said as she gave them a look.

 

“You’re hopeless,” Marie laughed. Britney ignored her as she went back to her workout.

 

“Hey, can I ask you guys something?” Sonya asked suddenly, putting down her pencil. Both Marie and Britney looked at her expectantly so she plowed on and asked: “I was wondering if you two might want to come to Ian’s last event with me?”

 

“Umm, maybe? When is it?” Marie asked.

 

“Next Saturday.”

 

“Uh, I probably have the time but do you think he’d want us?” Marie asked, frowning.

 

“Actually...yeah,” Sonya said, nervous about unveiling the plan she’d been concocting while drawing. “If you guys would do me a favor...I think it would be really cool if you guys come with. If he could advertise us he’d sell a lot of tickets. Something special for his send-off you know?”

 

Her friends considered this before Marie said: “You think if I used my Indy name it would be cool?” 

 

“That’s what Gail said.”

 

“You should definitely ask Noelle then, she’s almost a celebrity,” Britney chimed in.

 

“Yeah, I was thinking of asking Sal and Lance too…” Sonya said before hesitating and adding: “...and Hannah too.”

 

This suggestion received the response she’d been expecting. Hannah Hunter had once been part of the small group that had formed around McKayala Maroney. Maroney had always taken pleasure in tormenting Sonya and Hunter had played her part in that. But recently, after Sonya had beaten her in the mixed tag tournament, she’d had a change of heart. She’d stopped hanging around with Maroney and had even had a few friendly exchanges with Sonya. It seemed unlikely that they’d ever be friends, but Sonya was willing to forgive and forget. 

 

But it seemed her friends weren’t as ready.

 

“Blue, she was horrible to you!” Britney protested.

 

“I know I’m kind of new but even I saw what a bitch she is,” Marie added with a nod. They both continued to pile objections on Sonya for several moments before, to her surprise, Sonya spoke over them.

 

“GUYS!” she said suddenly. Both Marie and Britney cut off in surprise, Sonya almost never raised her voice. Sonya looked at them for a moment and then, before she could lose her nerve, said: “I think I know better than anyone how mean Hannah was to me. But I think she’s different now AND I don’t want to carry around a grudge against her. Most importantly, she was a big star in New England. She almost got signed by Ring of Honor. She’d be a big name to advertise for Ian and I want him to do as well as he can.”

 

Britney and Marie exchanged a quick glance at this. They both looked surprised but Sonya guessed they wouldn’t want to argue either. In the end, it was Britney who answered saying:  “That’s...really cool of you Blue.” She sounded legitimately impressed and this filled Sonya with a warm feeling.

 

“Yeah, now I feel like a bitch,” Marie said with a smirk.

 

“I didn’t-” Sonya started to say but then she saw that the other woman was laughing.

 

“Of course I’ll help  _ Azul,  _ it’s been too long since I was at an indy event,” Marie said as she beamed at Sonya.

 

“I know I’m the only one who isn’t an Indy superstar but I’d be happy to come with,” Britney said as she joined them at the table.

 

“You’re part of the Crew Brit, we need you there,” Sonya said happily.

 

“It’s just a shame we can’t work, I would love to do a match with all of you  _ chicas _ ,” Marie said wistfully.

 

“Well actually….” Sonya said, making Britney and Marie look at her “...I have an idea about that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Sonya is a creative recharge for me. I never would have thought that would happen but there it is!
> 
> I really hope that if you've read this far with me you'll do me the honor of telling everyone you know who loves compelling characters about Sonya! While you're here you can let me know what you thought of this chapter! I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> So about this chapter...what did you think? It got rough there for Sonya for a while, but she seemed to pull it off right? What do you think she told Gail Kim? And what do you think her big idea is?
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	29. Chapter 29: Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya and the Crew help her mentor and introduce themselves to the world

“So this is what the ‘indies’ are like? I’ve heard so much about them I guess was expecting something bigger,” Britney Shane said as she walked slowly down the narrow aisle toward the SDW ring set up in the middle of the High School gym.

 

“Why? There really isn’t anything ‘big’ about them?” Sonya asked from her side.

 

“Yeah, that’s...kind of the point,” Marie said from behind them. 

 

“You should see some of the places I’ve wrestled. You Americans build everything so big!” Alexia put in.

 

“Oh say can you see…” Noelle sang jokingly.

 

“Alright, alright, I never did this…” Britney said holding up her hands in surrender “...it’s just you all talk so fondly about it.”

 

“Well just because it’s small doesn’t mean it’s not fun,” Marie said. Sonya and Alexia both nodded at this. The three of them had all spent considerable time on the indy circuit. Marie in the American southwest, Sonya in the upper midwest, and Alexia in the UK. Britney and Noelle, by contrast, hadn’t actually ever wrestled on the lower circuit. 

 

Noelle, the daughter of Mick Foley, had actually tried out for the WWE at one point. Aside from this, she’d worked hard to make herself an all-around media personality. Britney had been an MMA fighter before switching sports. That had been about a year and a half ago and though she’d trained intensively she hadn’t actually ever wrestled a match outside of the Forge.

 

The Crew was in the Eagan High School gym thanks to Sonya. 

 

Her former employer and, more importantly, mentor/friend Ian Black was retiring. Tonight was to be his last show and he’d asked Sonya for a favor. Sonya was probably his most accomplished and distinguished former performer and Ian had asked if she’d be willing to make an appearance at this how as a special treat to the fans. And for Ian himself. 

 

Ordinarily Forge students were not permitted to work for, or even appear at non-PWF events. This only made sense, of course, the federation had invested a lot of time and money in them and wanted to protect this investment. But Sonya, to the surprise of her friends and herself, had managed to convince Gail Kim to allow a special exception.

 

And here they were.

 

“Someday, you WILL tell me how you convinced Kim to lets us do this,” Noelle told Sonya mock seriously. But there was genuine curiosity under her words as well. 

 

This was more than understandable. Sonya was still not quite sure she believed what she’d pulled off herself. Sonya was prone to some truly severe social anxiety and generally low confidence in herself. She rarely spoke in company and when she did it was often just a squeak. Her anxiety was so bad that the trainers at the Forge had deliberately handed her a terrible initial character idea just to see if she’d ever speak up for herself.

 

She had, but she hadn’t thought that courage was part of a trend. More of an aberration. But, maybe it would be quite so fleeting. She had, after all, made this night happen all on her own. Usually, she relied on Britney or Noelle to do the talking, Noelle, in particular, was just good at dealing with people, but not this time.

 

“Maybe someday I’ll tell you,” Sonya said with a small smile.

 

“Was that sass from you Blue?” Noelle asked in a mock stern voice.

 

“Maybe,” Sonya muttered, flushing slightly.

 

Noelle wiped an imaginary tear from her eyes as she said: “I’m kvelling, our little girl is growing up!”

 

“Eh, she’s still pretty tiny,” Alexia teased. Alexia was thirteen inches taller than Sonya.

 

“You two are both dorks,” Sonya muttered, though she was smiling.

 

“That we are a sweetie, that we are,” Noelle said as she slid her arm through Sonya’s. “Now, introduce us to your boss!” she said as she began leading Sonya down toward a small knot of people talking beside the ring. As they approached one of their number, a man in his early sixties wearing a tan suit, detached himself and hurried toward Sonya with his arms spread wide.  

 

“SONYA! Hey kiddo!” he said with real warmth in his voice. Sonya stepped forward with a big smile on her face and allowed him to wrap her in his arms. Ian Black wasn’t a big man but he was more than able to engulf someone as small as Sonya.

 

“Hi, Ian!” Sonya said when she finally disentangled herself.

 

“Sonya, I have to thank you so much. When you called me and told me you’d be able to make it I was thrilled! But then you told me you’d be bringing friends and…” Ian cut off here as he struggled to find words “...Well...just thanks kiddo.”

 

“Of course Ian,” Sonya said, meaning it too. She was rarely comfortable around people but Ian was one of the few that made her feel totally at ease. He just had that way about him, Ian Black could talk to anyone about anything and leave them feeling as though they were the most important thing in the world for that time. 

 

Sonya had first met Ian, or at least seen him when he’d stopped by the school where she’d learned to wrestle. Sonya had been nearing the end of her tenure there and had been working out in one of the school’s rings. Even at that time, she’d been a confirmed high flyer. She’d always remember that she’d first seen Ian while upside down and halfway through springboard moonsault. 

 

Ian had hung around the school most of the day, observing the students. Sonya had been even more inclined back then that any attention she received was hostile attention. This was coupled with the tendency to assume that everyone in a room was always paying attention to her. So it wasn’t surprising that Sonya had thought the unknown man was paying extra attention to her. What was surprising was that she’d been right.

 

As she’d been preparing to head to the locker room she’d been called all over by Ken Anderson, the owner of the school. Her stomach suddenly churning with the familiar fear that she’d done something wrong, she trudged over like a woman facing execution. When she’d arrived Anderson hadn’t looked pleased.

 

“Well you took your damned time,” he’d said sternly.

 

“Sorry,” Sonya had muttered at her feet. 

 

She almost heard Anderson roll his eyes at this but when he spoke it was to say: “North, this is Ian Black with Steel Domain Wrestling. He wants to talk to you.” Sonya looked up in surprise just in time to see Anderson leaving. This left her and the stranger alone.

 

“So, Sonya North...I understand you’re about to graduate here,” Ian had asked.

 

“Y-yes…” Sonya had mumbled.

 

“I’m sorry?” 

 

“Yes,” Sonya had repeated, though not much louder.

 

“Well, how would you like to be part of my next show?” 

 

Sonya’s head had come in surprise. Somehow, despite the months she’d put learning to wrestle, it still caught her off guard that someone might actually want to pay her for it. Realizing belatedly that Black’s question called for some kind of response she simply nodded. Black sounded somewhat taken aback by Sonya’s behavior but he nonetheless gave her the details for the show and told her to come to see him beforehand.

 

From these somewhat inauspicious beginnings, a rewarding relationship had formed. Sonya had found not only an employer but someone who had eventually become a kind of surrogate father, her own having died years before. More importantly, Black had understood Sonya more than most people. He’d learned to use her in such a way that maximized her strengths and minimized her weaknesses. She’d only been asked to pick up a microphone once, and usually was just told ‘put on a show’.

 

Of course, Ian had done quite well out of this as well. It hadn’t taken long for Sonya to establish a glowing reputation not only in the region but nationally. She’d been considered one of the biggest draws on the indy scene. Though Sonya, characteristically, had been totally unaware of this. Fast forward to the present and Sonya was delighted to think she might be able to return some of the kindness Ian and shown her. 

 

“Ian, these are my friends…” Sonya had said as she gestured toward the rest of the crew. “Britney Shane, Alexia England, Noelle Foley, and Marie Diaz,” as Sonya pointed at them each of her friends acknowledged Ian in a way characteristic of their personalities. 

 

Britney extended a hand and gave Ian a handshake that Sonya knew from personal experience was vice-like. Alexia beamed down at Ian, obviously considering that any friend of Sonya’s was a friend of hers. Marie had given Ian a pleasant nod, befitting her more withdrawn personality. And Noelle hurried forward to hug the man.

 

“Well thank you all for coming ladies, I’m really flattered,” Ian said when he stepped back to look at them all. He then frowned and asked: “Not to seem ungrateful, but didn’t you say there would be more of you?”

 

“The boys are on their way,” Britney explained. It was true, Sal and Lance were carpooling and with those two you could almost assume they’d be late.

 

“Wasn’t their another woman you named? Hannah Hunter?” Ian asked. Britney and Marie tensed slightly at this. They still hadn’t reconciled to the idea of Sonya inviting someone who had tormented her so much in the past. But Sonya was trying to think practically and move on.

 

“Hannah said she’d try to be here,” was all Sonya could say. When she’d invited the other woman it had certainly been an awkward conversation but she’d been pleased to get even that qualified response. Whatever her faults, Hannah was a name that would draw.  

 

“Well…” Noelle said quickly, obviously hoping to hurry past a potentially sticky issue “...how do you want to use us tonight Mr. Black?”

 

“Please, call me Ian…” Ian had said as he looked thoughtfully at them all “...obviously I want you all to stay around for the signing after the show but before then I definitely had some ideas.”

 

“Tell us,” Noelle had prompted eagerly.

 

“Well, for you Ms. Foley I wondered if you might be willing to act as our ring announcer tonight,” Ian suggested, not quite disguising his nervousness over the possibility of refusal. Sonya, for one, thought that Noelle would be amazing at this job. She was the most polished microphone presence of the group.

 

“I’d be delighted,” Noelle said with a smile. She then took several cards from Ian with the matches and wrestlers names on them to begin studying. 

 

“Ms. Diaz, I was hoping you’d join me on commentary,” Ian suggested to Marie who just nodded her assent. “As for the rest of you, I wondered if you’d consider managing our current women’s champion for the evening,” Ian said.

 

Sonya exchanged glances with Britney and Alexia before saying: “Of course, who is she?” 

 

“Her name’s Jamie Savage, but she uses the ring name ‘Gema’. She just picked up the belt at the last show and she’s going against two of the best heels I could book from Chicago in a triple threat.”

 

“Can I meet her?” Sonya asked.

 

“Whenever she arrives,” Ian said with a smile.

 

Jamie turned out to be a blonde woman not much taller than Sonya. Their first interaction was actually one of the most uncomfortable in Sonya’s life. When she, Britney, and Alexia made their way back to where the women were changing in the girl’s locker room they’d found the SDW Women’s champion changing in a corner and when she’d caught sight of Sonya she’d gaped.

 

“You-...you’re…” was all she’d managed to say. Sonya had been intensely embarrassed by this and had flushed bright red. This reaction had only provoked the same in Jamie however. 

 

Watching this with a slightly bemused smile Alexia whispered: “Blue, you can’t BOTH be dumbstruck.”

 

These words managed to startle Sonya into coherence. Clearing her throat she forced herself to step forward and offer Jamie her hand. “Hi...I’m...I’m Sonya North,” she said hoping her smile wasn’t too toothy.

 

“I know!”Jamie had stammered eagerly as she’d pumped Sonya’s arm up and down. 

 

“You did?” Sonya asked, confused into asking a stupid question.

 

“Uh...yeah...um,” Jamie said, with the air of someone trying to avoid embarrassing another person. 

 

“Blue...your hair,” Britney had said in a mock despairing tone.

 

“Oh,” Sonya had said, her face becoming a crimson counterpoint to her blue hair.

 

“I...I used to watch you at SDW shows...you’re kind of my idol,” Jamie said in an embarrassed voice.

 

“Me?” Sonya asked, as though she’d never heard anything so outlandish.

 

“Yeah, I’m trying to pattern my style after yours and everything,” Jamie had said eagerly. Sonya was floundering to come up with some kind of response to this but was drawing a total blank. Fortunately, Britney came to her rescue.

 

“Blue, we had something to ask Jamie and the others,” she reminded Sonya.

 

“Ask me what?” Jamie asked, looking curious and a bit concerned.

 

“We’d better get the other girls over here for this,” Alexia had suggested. When The six of them were all together Sonya explained her idea. The three women in the match had looked at each other before nodding their ascent when she finished.

 

The rest of the night flew by once the show began. Noelle was in her element working the crowd and adding more than usual flair to the announcements and Marie seemed to be having a lot of fun on commentary. Sal served a special guest referee for one of the matches while Lance joined the commentary team. But it was only when the main event, the women’s title match, arrived that the arena really exploded.

 

Jamie’s opponents were already in the ring as she and Sonya stood behind the simple black curtain that served as an entrance to the ring area.

 

“I’m nervous,” Jamie said, looking to Sonya.

 

“So am I,” Sonya admitted. She was always nervous before appearing in front of a crowd.

 

“Greattttt pep talk Blue,” Britney said sardonically. Before anyone else could say anything, Jamie’s music began to play.

 

“ _ Now entering the ring!...”  _ Noelle’s amplified voice echoed around the gum “... _ being accompanied by Alexia England, the bionic woman Britney Shane, and two-time SDW Women’s Champion Sonya North, GEMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” _

 

“I am going to kill her,” Britney muttered but she was nonetheless smiling as they stepped through the curtain. They had decided that for the maximum effect they would approach the ring MMA style. Britney and Sonya flanking Gema as Alexia held her title high behind her. As soon as Sonya stepped through the curtain the familiar wave of sound hit her. Over a hundred people shouting and cheering as they watched.

 

There was nothing like it.

 

Of course, what Sonya wasn’t aware of was that a great many of the cheers were actually for her. She was still remembered very fondly by the SDW audience. There would undoubtedly be a Sonya North rub for Jamie/Gema but learning this would have astonished Sonya. 

 

When they finally reached the ring Noelle went through the preliminaries and not long after the match began. Sonya had never managed anyone before, nor had she been managed. But she’d watched a lot of wrestling so she did her best to play the part based on what she’d observed. Despite this, she still ended up simply watching the match most of the time. And what she impressed her.

 

Jamie, or ‘Gema’ in the ring, was indeed wrestling like her. She made the same liberal use of the ropes that was Sonya’s trademark and even used a few of Sonya’s moves. The match itself was compelling, exceptionally so for such a small scale event. But it was when the match ended, that Sonya’s part began.

 

As had been planned, Gema won the match when she hit a springboard double DDT on both of her opponents. As soon as the referee’s hand hit the mat for the third time the gym exploded. But almost as soon as Gema had her hand raised, and as Noelle was announcing her victory, her two opponents regained their feet. 

 

One of the women roughly hip checked Noelle out of the way before snatching her microphone. The other blindsided Gema from behind. The crowd roared its disapproval as Sonya caught Marie’s eyes and nodded. As her two opponents tossed Gema out of the ring like a rag doll all five members of the crew climbed up onto the apron. The crowd loved it and the two women sold it perfectly, their eyes wide as they looked around them as though only now realizing their peril. 

 

As one the crew all ducked into the ring, or in Noelle’s case just stood, and formed a circle around the two women. Sonya looked at her friends and even though she was in on the angle she was still somewhat taken aback by how ferocious they all looked. Alexia was particularly unsettling as her features were usually so gentle.

 

“Oh, girls...that was not smart,” Noelle said, recovering her microphone.

 

Sonya and her friends were forbidden from actual wrestling but no such rule applied to Gema. While the crowd was focused on the confrontation inside the ring she slid under the bottom rope with a chair and a moment later had hit both other women in the back. As they both dropped to their knees, Gema tossed first one and then the other out of the ring. This done she joined hands with Britney and Sonya as the center link in a human chair. When they raised their hands together, Sonya thought some kind of bomb had gone off in the gym. 

 

THIS was the real reason why she did what she did. Despite the fact that she wouldn’t seem suited to a performing career, this was why. There was nothing to compare to a whole crowd of people cheering your name. The fact that Sonya was doing it for the first time with a group of friends, a new experience, made it even sweeter. The six women stood with their arms raised for a long time but eventually Gema/Jamie released Britney’s hand and pulled Sonya into a hug. 

 

“Thank you! I’ll see you someday in the PWF” she said, having to shout to be heard even though her lips were right next to Sonya’s ear.

 

“I hope so,” Sonya heard herself say. They hugged a moment longer before the other woman released Sonya and exited the ring. Sonya was about to say she should stay but she gave a small smile and shook her heard before lifting her hands to the ring. The gesture said: “All yours.”

 

Before Sonya could protest any further Britney took one hand, and Marie the other, raising them again. As the cheering intensified Sonya found herself smiling almost by accident. As she did, she heard Lance’s voice boom out from the speakers around the ring.

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen! You’re looking at the future of wrestling! You saw it here first! I give you...the Crew!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thanks again for reading Sonya's story! 
> 
> You know the deal on how much I love your feedback by now so I'll just say...do the thing!
> 
> Big plans for Sonya going forward! All I can say is...inter-Crew match?


	30. Chapter 30: Game Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya advances in the tournament but faces a different sort of test in the evening.

“Feeling any better”

 

“I think I’ll be fine, I just need to take it easy this weekend,” Sonya answered Alexia as she gratefully accepted an ice pack from her. Sonya and her partner, John Crisom, had just on yet another match in the Forge’s mixed tag tournament and in handy fashion. Unfortunately, Sonya had overrated on a jumping swinging DDT and banged back of her head against the matt hard enough to leave a bump.

 

“Good idea,” Alexia said as she sat next to Sonya and began to peel out of her sweaty workout clothes. As she worked she asked: “What are you doing this weekend Blue now that Noelle and Britney will be busy on Saturday?”

 

Alexia said this a bit louder than the rest of her statement so her words would carry to where Britney was also changing, and looking decided miffed as she did so. She and Kim Jon Su had lost their last match and been eliminated from the tournament. Given Britney’s extremely competitive nature, she was taking this about as well as one might have expected. Which was to say with a lot of disgruntled mumbling and a near permanent frown.

 

Of course, the WAY she’d lost was probably what was annoying her most. She hadn’t even had a chance to compete in the match. As her opponents had been approaching the ring, Noelle and her partner, Omar Abdullah, had staged a run in. Appearing behind the unsuspecting wrestlers they’d hit them both from behind. Of course, this had led to an immediate DQ against Britney and Kim, as per PWF rules.

 

Sonya recalled wondering why Noelle had been so confident that she would make it further in the tournament than Britney. Confident enough to make a bet over it. Britney was probably the best athlete of them all and easily one of the favorites to win the tournament. Now she knew. Of course, the stunt had gotten Noelle and Omar disqualified for the tournament as well, but Sonya had only learned after this that Omar had to leave the Forge for a week to handle some family issues. So he’d never really had any chance of winning.

 

Sonya had to shake her head at how devious Noelle was.

 

As per the term of their bet, Britney would now have to spend most of Saturday doing a series of fashion and makeup videos for Noelle’s Youtube channel. Noelle had been after her and Sonya to appear for a while but more so Britney. This was one of the few times Sonya was glad for how profound her anxiety could be, it meant Noelle felt bad about asking her too often.

 

Britney Shane was a very pretty woman. Statuesque, fit, and with sparkling green eyes, she probably could have been a model. But there could rarely have been a woman less concerned over her appearance that Britney. For her, it was enough for her hair to be up and that she be showered for her to go out the door. This approach was anathema to Noelle who, even on training days, spent at least forty minutes getting ready.

 

Britney had ignored Alexia’s remark, or she was just too busy muttering recriminations to notice it. Scattered words and phrases like ‘can’t believe it’ or ‘stupid’ floated over to them.

 

“Leave her be Blue, you know she’ll cool down after a while,” Alexia assured Sonya. She was probably right, Britney did have a bit of a temper but once she got past her initial fiery reactions she would always calm down.

 

“OK…” Sonya said as she peeled her boot off and wiggled her toes for a few seconds.

 

“But anyway, what are you doing this weekend? I was thinking that Marie and I would go to that...uh...super mall? You took me to. Do you want to come with?” Alexia asked.

 

“The Mall of America, and sure I guess if you can go tomorrow. I’m busy tonight,” Sonya said as she began stuffing gym clothes into her bag.

 

“You are?” Alexia asked, before catching herself and looking apologetic. Sonya didn’t mind, it was very unusual for her to be going out on any night, even the weekends. Even more unusual for it to be without the presence of any of her friends.

 

“Yeah, Sal and I are going to a game night later tonight,” Sonya said matter of factly. When she didn’t get a response for an unusually long time she looked over to see Alexia looking at her with a peculiar expression. “What?” she asked self consciously.

 

“I just...wow, with Sal...really?” Alexia asked.

 

“Yeah...why?” Sonya was confused by her friend’s reaction.

 

“Nothing!...nothing umm...can you make it on Saturday?” Alexia asked, obviously trying to hurry past the subject. Given how odd she was finding the conversation Sonya was happy to let this happen.

 

“I think so, when?” she asked. They finished making arrangements and then Alexia left. Sonya was changed but she dawdled for a while. She was driving for herself and Britney that night and she didn’t want to risk interrupting Britney before the other woman was ready to talk.

 

Sonya decided to wait outside the locker room and as she stood there she was approached by Tyler O'Kean-Martínez, or ‘Ty’ as he was known at the Forge.

 

“Hey Sonya,” he said.

 

“Hi...Ty,” Sonya said, they’d never spoken much but he was friendly enough. A silence fell then as neither of them seemed to be able to think of anything to say. This was looking like it might continue to stretch but fortunately, the locker room doors opened then and Britney emerged.

 

“I’m ready…” she told Sonya curtly before noticing Ty and nodding as she said: “...Ty.”

 

“Britney,” Ty said awkwardly but before anything else could pass between them Britney had started striding toward the doors leaving Sonya to shoot an apologetic look at Ty before hurrying after her best friend. The ride home was a bit tense, Britney was still obviously fuming but trying hard to reign in it. Sonya, who usually didn’t mind silences, was grateful when this one ended as they arrived.

 

“Are you still going out with Sal?” Britney spoke for the first time.

 

“Uh, yeah,” Sonya said, somewhat startled by her friend’s sudden return from muteness.

 

“Yeah, so...umm...do you mind if I use the shower first?” she asked tentatively. They usually just traded off but it was Britney’s night.

 

Britney sighed and after a moment a ghost of her smile touched her lips. “Of course I don’t mind dork, I’m just happy you’re going out,” she said.

 

“Thanks,” Sonya said, she was grateful she didn’t have to argue with Britney, she knew she wouldn’t win that. A quick check of her phone told Sonya that she only had about an hour and a half before she had to go get Sal so she hurried up the apartment and jumped right in the shower. When she’d finished mostly blow drying her hair she hurried to her room and through on what she more or less wore every day: a tee shirt, jeans, a hoody, and sneakers.

 

“That’s what you’re wearing?” Britney asked as she looked up from where was sitting at their kitchen table. She’d replaced the vase of lemon’s she’d had there previously with some fresh cut Delphiniums and she’d been fussing with them when Sonya had stepped out of her room.

 

“Yeah…” Sonya asked, suddenly uncertain.

 

“Oh...well that’s great, Sal will dig it,” Britney said quickly as she looked back down at her flowers. Sonya was puzzled as to why Sal should care one way or another but she didn’t ask. She was just grateful that Britney’s mood seemed to be improving.

 

“OK, well I think I’ll be back around like 10:30 or so? Maybe want to want to watch something after that?” Sonya asked.

 

Britney gave her a bemused frown that she didn’t quite understand but nodded and said: “Sure IF you’re home.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

But Britney was looking at her critically now and without speaking marched over to inspect Sonya. “How long do you have?” she asked without any explanation.

 

Baffled, Sonya said: “I need to go get him from the Forge apartments in like twenty minutes?”

 

“Good...” Britney said as she straightened, towering over Sonya in the process, and pointed back toward the bathroom saying: “...go put on some eyeliner.”

 

“What?”

 

“Go! Hurry!” Britney said as she began to chivy Sonya along. For her part, Sonya was absolutely flummoxed. She’d seen Britney wear makeup maybe once or twice, so to have her urging Sonya to do so was odd, to say the least. It was something Noelle would do.

 

“But-”

 

“Not a ton just something basic!” Britney overrode her as she gently pushed Sonya into the bathroom. Turning to look at herself in the mirror, Sonya blinked a few times feeling as though she’d just been swept up in some kind of tornado. But she supposed it couldn’t hurt and, again, she didn’t want to argue with Britney. So she opened a seldom-used drawer at the bottom of the sink and dug out some of her scarce makeup. Sonya didn’t wear makeup much more often than Britney so there were a few false starts that needed to be corrected as she worked. But when she did emerge from the bathroom she was reasonably happy with the results.

 

“You look hot,” Britney said right away, she’d been waiting in the hallway.

 

“Thanks?” Sonya said, still very confused by her friend’s out of character behavior.

 

“One last thing!”

 

“Brit! I need to go!” Sonya said, finally speaking up for herself. But a moment later she had to squint against the flash of Britney’s phone as her friend took a picture.

 

“Now we’re set!” Britney said smiling before she edged past Sonya and into the bathroom. “Have a good time!” she said before she shut the door. Leaving Sonya to, once again, do nothing but blink in surprise. But she really did have to go so after only a few moments she left the apartment.

 

The Forge apartments were only about fifteen minutes away from where Sonya and Britney lived so it didn’t take long to get there. Pulling to a stop in the parking lot she took out her phone and texted Sal to tell him she was there. To kill the time until he arrived he arrived Sonya opened an online fanfic she’d bookmarked and began to read.

 

She’d only made it a few paragraphs when some motion at the door to the apartments caught her eye. Looking up she saw John Crisom standing just inside the doors. She knew it was John, despite not being able to see his features, simply because of his size. There was someone smaller next to him that Sonya assumed was Sal.

 

The two men seemed to be taking with each other. As usual, Sal seemed more irritable that John. Whatever the case, a few seconds later Sonya watched as John used his two enormous spade-like hands to turn Sal bodily around, open the door, and propel the smaller man through. Sonya was worried for a moment that he might slip on the ice but Sal caught himself.

 

Putting her phone down, Sonya tugged on her hat and stepped out into the winter night. Smiling she waved her arm until Sal saw her.

 

“Hey!” he called as he began hustling across the parking lot.

 

“Hi, Sal!” Sonya said with a big smile. She liked the other wrestler a lot. They were probably the Forge’s two biggest power nerds and it turned out that they shared many of their fandoms. But most importantly Sal was someone who didn’t demand much from Sonya socially. He was happy to sit quietly next to her while they both wrote, drew, or gamed. It was rare for Sonya to find someone like this so she felt like she should try to cultivate Sal’s friendship.

 

“Sorry I was a bit late, Mount Meathead kept bothering me about what I was wearing,” Sal grumbled as he opened the passenger side door and got in. Sonya wasn’t put off by this though, she was used to Sal’s grumbling.

 

“That’s weird, Britney was bothering me about that too…” Sonya said with a frown as she got into the car.

 

“Really?” Sal asked he would be aware of Britney’s general indifference to appearance as much as anyone at the Forge.

 

“Yeah...she even made me do this,” Sonya said as she turned her head to one side and pointed at the makeup she was wearing.

 

Sal just looked confused. “Do what?” he asked.

 

“Oh…” Sonya mumbled, blushing “...I’m...I’m wearing some eyeliner.”

 

Sal looked startled at this and spoke quickly saying: “Oh but...umm...It looks...you look...nice,” He finished this statement in a tone that Sonya knew well. It meant that he was already feeling like he’d said something wrong. Though Sonya hadn’t been upset.

 

Despite this, the car descended into a heavy silence for what felt like a long time. Uncharacteristically, it was Sonya who broke it.

 

“So...ready to go play some Catan?” she asked, awkwardly. But Sal seemed relieved by the question.

 

“Oh yes, I’m actually really excited,” he said as though a great weight had been lifted off his chest.

 

As Sonya pulled out of the parking lot a thought occurred to her. A thought that made her blush a bit, so she hesitated to share it. But in an effort to make conversation she said: “Do you think our friends were being weird because they think this is a date?”

 

Sal looked startled once again at this but he seemed to consider it. After a while, he said: “Noooo, they couldn’t be that dumb. Well, the big lunk CAN be, but he isn’t usually.”

 

Sonya snorted as she said: “Yeah, that would be really weird.”

 

“Right? I mean...why ruin a perfectly good night of Catan?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonya is back! 
> 
> Don't forget the other works in the Premier Wrestling Federation, there isn't a bad story in the bunch!
> 
> What did you guys think of today's chapter? Sonya and Sal are a fun pair to write together. So much awkward and sweet mixed in one. But how many of you also thought this was a date? 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	31. Chapter 31: Game Night II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya goes to a party, but it doesn't end well.

“So how was the day?”

 

“It wasn’t a date,” 

 

“Because...it sounded like a date,” Britney Shane countered as she brought her car to a stop in front of the Forge apartments. It was the Sunday after Sonya’s game night with Sal, and she felt like she hadn’t stopped hearing about since. 

 

“It wasn’t a date!” Sonya insisted as she tried to catch an Abra on Pokemon Let’s Go. “Why did they import PokemonGo catch system into this game? It makes no sense on a non-mobile game!”  she complained as the Abra fled.

 

“I don’t know what any of that means, AND I’m not letting you get off that easy,” Britney said, refusing to be distracted.

 

“There’s nothing to talk about Brit, we just went to a game night and played Catan. We weren’t even at the same table most of the night!” Sonya said for what felt like the hundredth time.

 

“Well...they can be awkward sometimes, but it sounds like you two had a good time!” Britney said in a knowing way.

 

“IT wasn’t a date!” Sonya insisted.

 

“You two are adorable,” Britney said with a chuckle. Sonya ground her teeth but didn’t say anything else. Britney was nothing if stubborn so if she’d decided that it had been a date, nothing Sonya could do would dissuade her.

 

They were at the Forge apartments because of their friend Noelle Foley who was hosting a small party that afternoon and evening. Neither Sonya or Britney was much for parties but Noelle was as irresistible as Britney when she really put her foot down. Marie Diaz, the newest member of the crew, had learned this the hard way.  Upon hearing about the event she’d laughed.

 

“No way  _ chica!  _ I’m spending tomorrow in my pajamas on the couch and-” she’s started to say only to go quiet as she saw the dark look on Noelle’s face. In any case, Noelle much bigger than her. Sonya had almost imagined she heard thunder boom in the distance.

 

“It’s at three tomorrow,” Noelle had said with a particular kind of smile.

 

“I’ll be there…” Marie had said meekly. Sonya and Britney, who had known Noelle much longer, hadn’t even tried object.

 

“How did your thing with Noelle go?” Sonya asked, hoping this might work as a means of getting Britney off the subject of game night. It was a success.

 

Britney frowned and looked disgruntled for several seconds. She and Noelle had made a wager that whoever had advanced further in the Forge’s mixed tag tournament would have to do what the other told them to. Britney had been intending to make the ultra fashionable Noelle go out looking as ratchet as possible. This had seemed the most likely outcome at the time. Noelle was a very good wrestler but Britney was probably the best pure talent at the Forge. 

 

But as always, Noelle had been a step ahead.

 

Knowing how good Britney was as well as anyone, Noelle had taken matters out of her hands. As soon as Noelle had advanced further into the tournament than Britney she and her partner, Omar Abdullah, had staged a run in. Sonya could only assume she’d cleared it with the Forge staff because no one had punished her in any way for it. But the PWF had very strict rules on all its levels of competition regarding match interference. Whoever benefited from it got disqualified. This was a great storytelling device AND it had given Noelle her win.

 

The moment she and Omar had attacked Britney’s opponents, she’d guaranteed that Britney and her partner, Kim Jon Su, would not advance any further in the tournament. Of course, Noelle had been disqualified as well but that hardly mattered to her. She was one up on Britney, and for two women’s whose friendship was as competitive as theirs, this was enough.

 

“I spent like SIX HOURS being forced to be a model and then makeup fence post!” Britney grumbled. Her tone made very clear how little she’d cared for the experience.  This wasn’t surprising as Britney was the opposite of a fashionista. The experience must have been very near to her own personal hell.

 

“I bet you looked really pretty though,” Sonya said encouragingly. She hadn’t seen the video yet but made a note to watch it as soon as Noelle posted it. Not only was she curious but she had to admit that she had actually learned a few tips from Noelle’s last makeup video. Britney gave a kind of dismissive ‘hmph’ at this.

 

Entrance to the Forge apartments was secured so Britney and Sonya had to buzz when they reached the door. A moment later Alexia’s voice came through the small speaker, she and Noelle were roommates. 

 

“ _ Yeah?” _

 

“Noelle’s victims are here,” Britney answered moodily.

 

“ _ Oh cheer up Brit, it will be fun to have everyone here,”  _ Alexia answered. Britney just looked indignant so Sonya stepped forward and pushed the button.

 

“She’s still mad,”

 

“ _ Hey Blue! And yeah, she will be all night I’m sure,”  _ Alexia laughed as the door buzzed to let them both into the building. They then took the stairs up the fourth floor before heading down the hallways to Noelle and Alexia’s apartment. It was Alexia who answered the door.

 

“Hey, you two!” Alexia said, smiling as she hugged Britney and then bent down to do the same for Sonya. 

 

“Hey Lex,” Sonya said happily. She was riding an odd sort of good vibe today. Normally, the mere idea of going to a social gathering of any sort would be enough to make her almost cripplingly anxious. But somehow knowing that the event would be at her friends’ place (and just knowing you had so many close friends) had been enough to help her stay mostly calm. She wasn’t entirely comfortable but at least she wasn’t feeling as though she might flee at any moment. Alexia let them in and as they entered the combination living room/dining room Noelle was waiting there for them. 

 

“Of course you two are dressed like it’s a PTA meeting,” she said in bemused exasperation. Noelle was wearing a striped tee dress that made Sonya feel very underdressed. Britney just muttered something darkly in response to her statement. “Well hello to you too sunshine!” Noelle teased her.

 

After a few moments, Britney seemed to relent as she said: “You look nice.”

 

“Thank you!” Noelle said as she came over and hugged them. When she straightened she asked: “You two want something to drink?”

 

“Water,” Britney said.

 

“Diet Pepsi,” Sonya said, more eagerly.

 

Noelle sighed as she headed toward the kitchen saying: “Two white wines, coming up.”

 

“You’re impossible!” Britney called after her.

 

“I love you too,” Noelle called back from the kitchen. She returned a moment later with two glasses of wine which she offered to Sonya and Britney. Both took them and looked sadly down at them. Neither Sonya or Britney was much of a wine drinker. Britney rarely drank anything but water and Sonya preferred whiskey if she was going to drink.

 

“Oh don’t look so glum! It’s a party! You’ll like it!” Noelle chided them as she sat down on the couch. Sonya had just a moment to catch the flash of mischief in Britney’s eyes before her friend began to speak.

 

“Ohhh indeed my lady, well we wouldn’t any of the common rabble with their uncouth manners at your party now would we?” Britney said, suddenly speaking like the caricature of a Downtown Abbey character. She always also speaking much louder than normal.

 

Noelle didn’t skip a beat as she popped up from the couch and twirled her hand foppishly as she said: “Yes indeed my dear, how dreadful to be with the lower sort.” They continued to converse like this with scrunched faces and ridiculous gestures. Sonya was fascinated by why she was seeing though she did hear a loud snort from the kitchen which meant Alexia was amused. There was another interval before a third voice suddenly joined the conversation, sounding even more ridiculous than Britney and Noelle.

 

“Capitol seeing you two ladies this evening eh what?” Lance Douglas said as he walked into the living room holding an invisible monocle over his eye.\

 

“Oh, welcome my Lord Douglas, please avail yourself of my manor,” Noelle said as she gave a theatrical curtsey.

 

“Please join us for port and sherry,” Britney said as she twirled her hand.

 

“You guys know that NO ONE talks like that right?” Alexia asked as she stuck her head around the corner of the kitchen. She was actually from the UK so she was usually the authority on accents.

 

“She’s just jealous she’s not as high tone as we are,” Lance declared pompously. 

 

“Yeah, that’s it,” Alexia said with an eye roll before vanishing again. At that moment there was another knock on the door. “Will m’lord or one of m’ladies get the door?” Alexia called. Happy for the excuse to leave this bizarre conversation, Sonya slunk out of the living room and headed to the door. When she’d opened it she found herself staring at someone’s stomach. Ordinarily, this might be off-putting but it made her smile.

 

“Hi, John,” she said as she stepped back.to allow the huge man to step into the apartment. It was only once she had that she saw that two more people were present.

 

“Will you move Godzilla!” Sal said as he tried to push past his friend into the apartment.

 

“ _ Aye!  _ How do you even live being so damned big?” Marie asked.

 

“Ya’ll just jealous,” John said as he grinned. He did indeed have to duck his head to get into the apartment but he stayed bent almost double to hug Sonya. ‘Engulf’ might have been a better world but she appreciated it nonetheless. “Semi-finals here we come right LM?” he asked he in a  voice that vibrated her whole body.

 

“Yeah, let's have some fun,” she said as he stood. John squeezed past her and then Sonya hugged Marie.

 

“Hey,  _ Azul,”  _ she said. Marie was wearing her usual outfit of a black leather jacket with a black stocking cap.

 

“Noelle won’t love the outfit,” Sonya warned.

 

“She forced me to come here, she can deal,” Marie said with a shrug as she went in. That left Sal as the last one in and he wasn’t really much of a hugger.

 

“That was fun on Friday right?” he asked, awkwardly.

 

“Yeah...it was, we should… do it again,” Sonya said with equal discomfort.

 

“Will you two martian’s get in here?” Noelle said from behind them.

 

“Is anyone else coming?” Sonya asked to cover her embarrassment.

 

“I asked Ty, but I don’t know if he’ll be here,” Noelle said a with a shrug as she beckoned Sonya over. 

 

The next few hours were an odd mixture of anxiety and entertainment for Sonya. She spent most of them on the couch sitting next to John as everyone else talked. She didn’t participate much, but she found many of the exchanges amusing. The broke for dinner around five and afterward Sonya found herself standing in the kitchen talking with Sal. Talk actually seemed to be flowing more naturally as they’d found a common topic of interest. Namely, talking about how little they liked parties.

 

“Hey, umm...do you play D&D?” Sal suddenly asked.

 

Sonya was a little taken aback by the abrupt question she answered honestly saying: “Yeah, I mean I used to with my dad and sister. I haven’t had anyone to play with  along time.” This statement depressed her as it not only reminded her of the reality of her relationship with Skye but also of her father’s death.

 

Sal didn’t seem to notice though as he said: “I’m working on a new campaign right now, want to see what I have?”

 

“Sure,” Sonya said, touching her hair nervously. Sal looked around then before he lowered his voice and asked: “Should we...just sneak out?” Sonya felt anxious at the thought but she just nodded. A moment later they’d were both out the door and hurrying down the hallway to the apartment Sal shared with John on the same floor. When they shut to door Sonya couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh.

 

“I can’t believe we did that, Noelle is going to be so mad,” she said, oddly giddy.

 

“Yeah...it was kind of awesome,” Sal joked as she turned on a light. Now that she could see the apartment, Sonya found herself oddly unsurprised. She’d never actually been invited into a boy’s apartment before, but somehow she thought that this must be how many of them looked. 

 

John and Sal seemed to live in a state of low-grade chaos. Sonya often thought of herself as untidy but the boys’ living room was more like an explosion had occurred. Stuff was everywhere, clothes, papers, electronics, food wrappers, and more. Sonya’s apartment might have looked something like this if she’d still lived alone, but Britney was a very tidy person.

 

“Sorry about the mess, John can be a slob,” Sal muttered self consciously at a hoody that had been thrown over the couch. But Sonya was beaming as she looked at the TV.

 

“Oh my god! Do you have a SNES?!” as she knelt to look at the console.

 

“Yeah..do you have one?” 

 

“No! I’ve been looking for one too!” Sonya said excitedly.

 

“Well, maybe we can play sometime,” Sal said, sounding a bit less awkward.

 

“Yeah, but I want to see your campaign too,” Sonya said as she stood and looked around as though she expected it to appear suddenly.

 

“Oh yeah…” Sal said as he disappeared down the hallway to the bedrooms before returning with a notebook. He sat at the table and then kicked a pile of clothes out of a chair so Sonya could sit on it.

 

“Thanks,” Sonya said with a nervous smile, having to restrain herself from touching her hair again. For some reason, she found she wanted to do that almost constantly at the moment. 

 

“OK, so tell me what you think…” Sal said as he opened the notebook and began to explain his campaign ideas. Sonya listened intently for several minutes, loving what she heard. When Sal finally finished he suddenly looked embarrassed and said: “It’s...it’s kinda dumb but-”

 

It was probably the first time Sonya had interrupted anyone in years but she did here. “No! It’s great!” she said quickly, before clearing her throat and having to grab her hand with the other to keep it away from her hair.

 

“Really?” Sal asked, sounding like he didn’t dare to believe what he was hearing.

 

“Yeah!” Sonya said excitedly. Looking around guiltily then she asked: “I know it’s not done, but could we maybe play a little bit? You can DM.”

 

Sal thought about it for a while, and Sonya was sure he’d say no. But then he nodded and said: “Sure, what the hell.” Sonya beamed and then waited for Sal to get his dice. They were still playing when they were discovered. They’d been so engrossed in their game that they didn’t even hear when the door opened.

 

“Really?!” Noelle’s voice suddenly said indignantly. Both Sonya and Sal jumped clean off their chairs at this.

 

Blushing furiously. Sonya said: “Oh...uh...hi Noelle!” with a terribly weak smile.

 

“How are you gon sneak out like that on me man?” John asked Sal, sounding more hurt than anything.

 

“Because you knew I would!” Sal snapped.

 

“You two snuck out to come here and play...whatever you’re doing,” Noelle said in a deadly calm voice. Sonya, recognizing the danger quickly stepped in.

 

“It’s called Dungeons and Dragons! It’s a lot of fun I promise. We can...we can show you how to play sometime if you like?” she said quickly. Noelle stared at them for a few moments before she rolled her eyes.

 

“Alright, let’s do it,” she said as she walked forward and moved a stack a pair of hand weights off another chair and sat beside Sonya.

 

“R-right now?” Sonya asked, startled.

 

“Yes, now, I’d LOVE to learn what was so much more entertaining than my party,” she said sourly.

 

“Yeah, you know what? Teach us both,” John rumbled. 

 

“YOU want to play D&D?” Sal asked him, obviously not believing it.

 

“No! You’re the nerd. But I want to know why you ditched as much as Noelle,” John growled. Staring at the glowering faces of their friends, Sonya and Sal had to concede defeat.

 

So they began trying to teach a fashionista and a giant how to play Dungeons and Dragons. At first, it went about as well as one would expect. Noelle and John were both clearly there mostly to scoff and be annoyed. Sal was obviously frustrated by this but Sonya felt guilty enough that she actually applied herself. 

 

When they’d assigned John and Noelle characters, they all began to play. And slowly, imperceptibly, something very odd happened. John and Noelle began to play in earnest, rather than ironically. This was shown by little things at first, forgetting to add a sarcastic remark to a statement or the like. But at around the one hour mark, there was no longer any pretending, they were hooked.

 

So hooked that when an indignant Britney, Marie, and Alexia arrived Noelle didn’t even bother pretending like she was still annoyed.

 

“Oh my god, seriously?” Alexia demanded.

 

“Of fucking course,” Britney just said as she shook her head.

 

“Look, you guys can stay as long as you like, we’ll be done here...soonish,” Noelle said, not even looking up from her sheet.

 

“Seriously? You force us into this and now you’re not even going to be at your own party?” Marie asked.

 

“I’ll be back later!” Noelle insisted.

 

“John?! Really?” Britney asked.

 

“I’ll come back when Noelle does,” John said distracted before turning to Sonya and saying: “Your roll LM!”

 

“Well, I’m just leaving then,” Britney announced.

 

“Can I get a ride?” Marie asked. Britney nodded and as they turned to leave, Sonya stood as well.

 

“She’s my ride to so-” she began to say before an iron hard grip latched onto her arm and tugged her down into her seat.

 

“I’ll drive you home later after we finish this!” Noelle said in a voice that brooked no argument.

 

“But-” 

 

“Roll! We need to kill this goblin rogue!”

 

“Noelle! What am I supposed to do, the apartment is a mess?” Alexia pressed as Marie and Britney left.

 

“I’ll clean it later, why don’t you just spend some time with Lance?” Noelle suggested distractedly. Alexia blinked at this suggestion before turning and almost hurrying from the apartment. 

 

“Roll!” Noelle insisted. Sonya jumped to it.

 

Despite her friend’s somewhat disconcerting intensity, Sonya had fun over the next two hours. Noelle and John were totally addicted. Sonya guessed that they’d be happy to play with Sal and her again in the future. But it was a Sunday night and she did have training the next day. So at about 9 PM she stood she asked: “Can you give me a ride home Noelle?”

 

“What? It’s not that late Blue, we can totally finish!” Noelle protested, eyes wide.

 

“We’ve been playing for three hours Noelle? We have to train tomorrow,” Sonya said tentatively.

 

Noelle gave her an exasperated look and asked: “Oh come on Blue, how much energy can it really take to do backflips and moonsaults?”

 

Sonya almost pointed out that those two things were basically synonyms but instead, she just said: “A lot?”

 

“You’ll be fine, just a bit longer,” Noelle said as she gently, but firmly, pulled Sonya down into her chair. 

 

Sal was the next one to try and escape. Forty-five minutes later he yawned and said: “I need to go to bed, you guys have a good-” He never got to finish. A gigantic hand clamped around his arm.

 

“You ain’t going anywhere dungeon master, not until I kill that bastard wyvern!” John said without looking up from his card.

 

“I said I’m tired and I want to go! You can’t make me-” Sal whined as he tried futilely to extract his arm from his friend’s grip. But Sonya doubted that even if she and Noelle had stood up and pulled on him they would ever be able to break John’s grip.

 

“Then you better ‘dungeon’ faster, Mr. Master,” John answered as he forced Sal back into this seat.

 

“This is so unfair,” Sal muttered.

 

“Ah come on Sal, you’re SO good at this though. Please play with us a bit longer?” Noelle asked in a voice so sweet it made Sonya’s teeth hurt. She also would have sworn Noelle actually batted her eyes once. Sal might usually put on a grumpy front to the world, but he’d never been good at saying no to Noelle. No one was really.

 

They played far into the night. Much further than was wise for wrestling students. It was only when Sonya very nearly passed out at the table that Noelle relented and drove her home. Though she didn’t stop muttering the whole way about a series of unfortunate D20 rolls. 

 

That next morning, after far to little sleep, a groggy Sonya plodded into the Forge with dark circles under her eyes. As she did she met Marie who asked: “What happened to you?”

 

“Dungeons and Dragons”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Sonya so much, and it's fun to occasionally put out a few chapters that are just...fun. 
> 
> We'll be back to wrestling very soon, I promise!
> 
> In the meantime: kudos, comments, and bookmarks!
> 
> What kind of monsters have Sonya and Sal created?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	32. Chapter 32: The Finals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finals of the Forge Mixed Tag Tournament have arrived!

The last week plus had flown by for Sonya. 

 

During that time she’d finally managed to convince her fellow students that Sal and she weren’t dating. She’d also had some minor breakthroughs and she worked with Britney and the Forge training instructors on constructing her character. All in all, things seemed to be going fairly well for her. She’d even won her semi-finals match in the Forge’s mixed tag tournament. Or, she’d watch John completely dismantle his own opponent and then win the match for them.

 

But that was in the past, and this was now. Now she faced what might have been the biggest match of her wrestling career.

 

She didn’t think this lightly either. Sonya had won multiple championships as an indy wrestler. On paper at least these should probably have been her biggest match ever, given that the one in front of her wouldn’t even be seen by anyone besides her fellow students. Yet it FELT different.

 

She and John Crisom were about to compete to win the first ever Forge mixed tag tournament. If they won, they would receive basically nothing. The tournament was mostly a training exercise and as such it was supposed to be its own reward to the students participating. Officially. More realistically, if two newcomers to the Forge were to win over all their much more experienced peers. The bragging rights would be profound, even for someone like Sonya who never bragged about anything. 

 

Today’s match would be special in another way as well. As it was the finals of the tournament the competitors would be treating it like it was an official PWF televised match. All the previous matches had been contested under PWF rules, but this time they’d have an actual official, entrances, and, of course, ring gear.  And it was this last part that was the reason why Sonya was sitting alone in the women’s locker room.

 

All the students and staff had been excused their usual schedules so they could watch the finals. Sonya had even heard a rumor that several PWF management officials were in the building. None of which helped her deal with her nerves. Sonya would have been a ball of nerves to be here at any time, but now it seemed she could easily enter a confidence-killing downward spiral.

 

Yet she didn’t.

 

Even Sonya was surprised by this development. Her stomach was absolutely tying itself in knots and she could feel herself sweating but...she was in control. There wasn’t the gut-wrenching terror that she would have expected based on her previous life experience. There was something different about this situation, though she didn’t know what. Her friends could have told her, indeed anyone who had known her throughout her run at the Forge could have. But Sonya didn’t see it.

 

Whatever the case, she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead she focused on trying to control her breathing as she laced up her boots. Her new boots, the ones that had been a gift from Yoshihiro Asai aka the Ultimo Dragon, one of Sonya’s idols who had tutored her for a week earlier in her Forge tenure. The boots had been his parting gift to her, and they were truly beautiful. Running to just below her knee they were were a candy blue and seemed to gleam as you looked at them. But your eye ignored this as it was drawn to the delicate silver outline of a crescent moon on the outside of each calf and the delicate Japanese calligraphy along the outside of the foot.

 

When she’d finished with them Sonya stood and blew out a breath. She bounced up and down on her feet for a few seconds before she turned and walked towards the doors. Exiting them she found that the locker room entrances had been walled off from the rest of the main floor by a partition that included a large black curtain. All the participants in this match had been given the same instructions regarding this. Be waiting there when it was your turn. Sonya was the last to leave the locker rooms.

 

As she stood behind the curtain she lowered her head and closed her eyes. She’d done this same thing so many times and yet this time it felt brand new. As though when she stepped through that curtain, she’d begin a new life. Absurd though it was, the feeling was persistent. But would a big change necessarily be a bad thing? She had no time to ponder this as just then, her music hit.

 

On the independent circuit, Sonya had mostly used ‘Blue Moon’ by Frank Sinatra as her intro music. This had been on the suggestion of her friend and Mentor, Ian Black. It worked with her look and Ian had always managed to capitalize on it. But since Sonya’s promotion to the 5th cycle at the Forge, she’d been working with several instructors on building her new persona and part of this had been the decision to try new music.

 

So instead of the familiar notes of ‘ Blue Moon’, she instead heard ‘Fireflies’ by Owl City. The song had always been special to her for reasons she couldn’t quite articulate, but now that she heard it she knew she’d chosen well. A sense of serenity descended over her as she listened for another few seconds before she put a hand on the curtain.

 

As soon as she stepped through she heard loud clapping and some cheering. But she ignored it as she stepped forward and dropped to a knee with her head down while holding her arms out behind her. She counted to three before standing and walking slowly down the makeshift aisle toward the ring. 

 

She kept her eyes forward, ignoring the crowd around her as she always did before a match. Sonya’s relationship with the crowds who watched her perform was hard to define. She felt simultaneously removed and connected to them. Removed in the sense that what she was doing, where she was, might as well have been on another planet despite the fact that the fans were only a few yards away. Connected in that Sonya, who usually felt so different from those around her, never related to people better than when she was performing for them. 

 

As she reached the ring the leapt cleanly up from the floor to the apron in a single bound. She then grabbed the top rope, pulled it down slightly, and used the spring back to pop herself up onto it. She stood them for only a moment before she front flipped into the ring, landing on her feet right next to John.

 

“Nice entrance Little Moon,” he told her in his bass rumble of a voice. Sonya grinned at him but didn’t speak. She almost never spoke when she was in the ring. Ian had loved this as part of her gimmick, and Sonya saw that angle. But it was also her general reluctance to speak in front of large groups of people. So she settled on bumping his enormous fist with her own.

 

Then she turned to face their opponents, standing across the ring.

 

Alexia England and Lance Douglas. 

 

Sonya managed a weak sort of smile for Alexia, who returned it though with more feeling. The thing that had Sonya most nervous was having to compete against her friend, one of her best friends, in front of this crowd. It had less to do with anything about actual in-ring competition, and more to do with the fact that it was Alexia. Sonya almost never even argued with people close to her, the idea of having to wrestle a friend was daunting.

 

But before she could think about this any further, the PWF official stepped forward to send both teams to their corners. Sonya and Alexia exchanged one last nod before they complied. Sonya and John and already decided that she would start things off so when she reached the corner she checked her knee pads one last time. The world seemed to have gone quiet around her, the noises made by the crowd, the ring, and even John fading to a distant buzz. All Sonya could hear was her breathing and the thunderclap of her heart.

 

The pause seemed to stretch forever as she turned around to face the ring and Alexia. 

 

A heart beat passed.

 

The bell rang.

 

Sonya and Alexia had spent a LOT of time wrestling each other in weekend sparring sessions during their shared time at the Forge. Sonya had actually gotten the better of most of these encounters which might surprise someone just meeting the pair. Sonya gave up a foot of height and almost forty pounds to her friend. But what Sonya lacked in size she more than made up for in speed and endurance. She’d often found the best way to combat Alexia was simply to avoid her until she got tired or made a mistake.

 

But no one would be more aware of this than Alexia herself. So Sonya and John, in a strategy meeting between the two of them, had decided that Sonya should try something else. She was going to go right at Alexia to see if she could catch her friend off guard and maybe, if she was lucky, gain an early advantage. When the bell rang, Sonya took off.

 

It was usual for her to spend a few seconds scuttling away from her opponents, who were always bigger than her. She never liked operating in constricted space so she would usually move to the most open parts of the mat. Not today. Today she ran directly at Alexia and was rewarded by seeing her friend’s eyes widen ever so slightly at this unexpected behavior. 

 

Sonya took advantage of this by sliding between her friend’s legs and popping up between Alexia and the other woman’s corner. Sonya continued her momentum as she ran toward the corner, hopped up it in two steps, spun around and launched herself at Alexia who was just starting to turn around. Landing on her friend’s shoulders Sonya landed two and three strikes before twisting around and falling backward while locking her legs around Alexia’s head. 

 

The taller woman did her best to resist this but it was simply a matter of physics. When all of Alexia got moving in one direction it was very hard for her, or anyone else, to stop it. The hurricanrana was textbook and Alexia ended up thudding to the mat, back first. Sonya didn’t linger however as she’d begun sprinting toward the ropes as soon as she’d landed. Once she’d rebounded she tucked into a somersault which she translated into handstand and then into a falling senton. It was her version of ‘rolling thunder’ which she’d developed as a tribute to Rob Van Dam.

 

As soon as she rolled forward off of Alexia she immediately popped backward in a standing moonsault, which she dressed up by making it a praying variant. Alexia let out another loud grunt at this impact which gave Sonya enough time to escape again. Even for someone with Sonya’s size and endurance, this was a lot of high-intensity moves in a short period. She knew she was going to need a break and very soon so she went for one last move. 

 

Moving quickly, though not as fast as she had been, to the nearest turnbuckle, Sonya climbed to the second rope. Taking a deep breath she jumped as high as she could intending to drive her elbow into Alexia’s stomach. Except, Alexia wasn’t where Sonya had left her. Instead, Sonya crashed into the canvas, elbow first. Crashing and burning was a reality of leaping as much as Sonya did so she planned to just roll out of the way when a vice-like grip grabbed the back of her neck. 

 

“Had your fun, not it’s my turn,” Alexia said as hauled Sonya up like a farmer might carry a cat. Sonya struggled but couldn’t escape. She found herself being held horizontally across Alexia’s torso as he friend revolved slowly on the spot. Sonya just held on until she realized what was about to happen. But by that time, all she could do was prepare herself for the impact. 

 

Alexia bent her knees before suddenly lunging backward, releasing Sonya as she did. The fallaway slam was perfect and Sonya was sent careening across the ring. She had briefly thought she might be able to catch herself, but in the end, all she did was tuck her chin and brace against the impact. When she hit the mat it was with a loud clattering sound. She still had enough momentum that she want rolling toward Alexia’s only corner.

 

Knowing this was no man’s land, she scrambled along the mat and tried to crawl under the bottom rope. But then Alexia grabbed her ankle and hauled her back to the middle of the ring. Sonya ended up having to hop her way awkwardly to one foot. The position was not a good one, Alexia had her left leg pulled out behind her forcing Sonya to face away from her opponent. Knowing that nothing good could come of this, Sonya countered.

 

Hopping twice Sonya bent her knee deeper after she landed and sprung as high as she could on one leg. As she did she tucked forward in a way that resembled a somersault, though she landed awkwardly on her shoulders the move was enough to tug Alexia forward. The taller woman was forced to leap awkwardly over her. Which gave Sonya the opportunity to scramble toward her corner and tag in her partner.

 

John charged into the ring and he and Lance began to square off. Sonya was winded from her time in the ring but she had to admit that she though it had gone better than expected. She’d been privately concerned that she might lose the match early for trying to go toe to toe with Alexia. That she hadn’t, seemed like a real win.

 

Lance and John made a stark contrast in the ring. Lance wasn’t that small, but most people appeared elfin next to John. From what Sonya had been able to glean, Lance was a brawler and had done his time in more hardcore promotions. Unfortunately for him, that style meant he had to close with John. Which was a place where you just didn’t want to be. 

 

Sonya winced several times but as she watched her partner toss Lance around the ring. Whatever Lance tried he just ended up getting overwhelmed by John’s power and size Most impressive was John’s military press transferred to a spinebuster, a move that should have closed the match. It would have if Alexia hadn’t ducked into the ring and broken up the count. 

 

This earned her a warning from the official. Under PWF rules, this was far more serious than in most wrestling. A wrestler could receive only three warnings during a standard PWF match before they were disqualified. It was a good device to build tension for the audience and had been copied in several smaller federations.

 

But Alexia’s warning was enough to buy Lance the time he needed to roll to his corner and tag Alexia back in. Which forced Sonya into the match. But she was feeling rested again so away they went. This time Sonya stuck to her usual game plan, she stayed out of reach of Alexia and picked her spots. She could see this beginning to frustrate Alexia, though her friend was obviously working to keep herself in check.

 

But when Sonya ducked under Alexia’s arms and then landed a drop kick on her butt that sent her stumbling into the ropes, Alexia had had enough. Turning around and throwing caution to the winds, she charged at Sonya. Sonya easily dodged again but managed to clip Alexia on the side with a spinning back kick. This sent Alexia stumbling toward the ropes in a way that made Sonya’s eyes light up.  

 

As Alexia stumbled Sonya took off toward the opposite set of ropes. She knew that Alexia wouldn’t be able to catch herself on her own, but there was the second rope. As Sonya came back off the ropes she ginned, Alexia had indeed stumbled and ended up having to grasp the second rope to stabilize herself. Just in time for Sonya to arrive and hit a tiger feint kick, and send her topping backward. 

 

Had she been less caught up in the moment she would have been concerned as Alexa’s hands went to her nose. Sonya had actually gotten more of the kick than she should have. But Sonya was focused on her moment. Almost before Alexia’s back hit the canvas Sonya was on the apron and springing up onto the top rope. It was time.

 

Letting the rope give just enough, Sonya bent her knees and sprang for all she had. She was almost ten feet in the air as she began to  rotate backward high above the ring. As she did she splayed out her legs and tucked her head, completing nearly 700 degrees of rotation before landing. Though she didn’t hear it, the crowd went nuts. Split legged 680 senton.

 

Pinning Alexia was a tricky matter for Sonya, given the disparity in size between their limbs. Lifting Alexia’s leg was tough, but she did manage to hook it. The referee skidded the mat next to them a heart beat later. One then two...Sonya’s heart leapt. Then she felt herself herself being dragged off of Alexia. Confused she looked around quickly to see Lance with hands in the air as the official angrily gesticulated at him to get back to his corner. That was warning two for his team. 

 

Sonya was uncharacteristically frustrated by this. But there was nothing she could do to Lance about it. But there was someone who could. Hurrying to her corner, Sonya slapped John’s outstretched hand and said: “Get’em!”

 

Poor Lance, things didn’t go well for him. Eventually he ended up in John’s bearhug, a move that Sonya he intended to use as a finisher. John was obviously not trying to hurt Lance, but even half strength John Crisom was frighteningly strong. Sonya could almost hear Lance’s vertebrae protesting at the abuse. But Lance was very athletic in his own right and he eventually managed to escape with the use of a quick headbutt. A moment later he tagged Alexia back in who promptly pointed John back to his corner with a falsely sweet smile.

 

When the obviously gassed man arrived, Sonya beckoned for him to bend down so they could speak. Bringing her mouth to his ear, she said: “John...number four!”

 

The big man’s eyes registered shock at this. He knew how much Sonya hated that particular double team that they had worked on. But then a grin spread across his face. “Alright Little Moon, mount up!” 

 

Sonya grinned as she tagged him as she slapped his hand, to tag in. But rather than enter the ring she climbed the turnbuckle. This move could really only work because John was big enough to shield her from view. Grimacing against what was about to happen, Sonya closed her eyes as John suddenly clamped his shovel-sized hands on either side of her abdomen. In a stunning display of power, he easily pivoted with Sonya’s weight cocked over his shoulder as though she were a bazooka he was about to fire. 

 

Sonya just had time to see Alexia’s determined expression turn to one of confusion. Then she found herself being tossed with monumental force. John threw her like a javelin, which left Sonya just enough time to tuck into a ball as she collided with Alexia. Sonya heard the air being driven out of her friend as she herself dropped to the mat with a thud. But the move had done the trick.

 

Alexia was driven hard back into the corner, where she bounced off with a loud oof. Sonya capitalized by catching her in a drop toe hold that sent the taller woman crashing down to the mat. Alexia had twisted as she fell in order to not land on her face, so she ended up rolling onto her back. Just in time to have her wind knocked out of her as Sonya crashed back down onto her stomach with a double leg drop. 

 

Though this jarred her own spine, Sonya ignored the pain and scrambled under the nearest bottom rope. The reality of Sonya’s style of wrestling was that the longer a match went, the harder it was for her to execute her offense. Her limbs were feeling at least five pounds heavier than normal right now. But she knew she had to give one last big effort here. 

 

Clawing her way up to a standing position on the apron. Grabbing the top rope once more, she again used it’s elasticity to pop up onto it. TIming the rope’s spring perfectly, Sonya flew. If anything, she was higher in the air than ever as she began to twist. She could feel time slowing and was suddenly very aware of every detail her senses were feeding her. She could feel the aches in her every muscle, her hair splaying out around her, and her arms tucked tight against her chest. She could smell sweat, taste it even.

 

This felt like a long time for Sonya, but in reality, it only took three seconds for her to execute a perfect springboard corkscrew moonsault. Or, as she called it, A Blue Moon Rising. It was only on collision that time sped back up. This time she didn’t even bother with hooking a body part, just flopping across Alexia’s body, her breath ragged in her ears.

 

One...two…

 

Sonya’s hearing returned.

 

She was suddenly hit by a wall of sound that seemed far too loud for the size of the audience. At first, she struggled to understand what had happened. Then she heard Alexia groan.

 

“I don’t think I’d ever be able to beat you Blue,” she said in as rueful a voice as her fatigue would allow. Sonya blinked at this, not grasping the implication until another voice interrupted.

 

“North! Are you injured?” an unfamiliar male voice was asking. 

 

“What?” she asked, still in a daze.

 

“Do you need help?” the voice asked.

 

“Wha- no I’m...I’m OK,” Sonya muttered though she doubted anyone would hear her voice over the cacophony of sound around them. 

 

“Then stand up and join us,” the voice said as a hand suddenly grabbed hers and began pulling her up. Sonya allowed herself to stand and then looked around at the audience. They were all shouting, clapping, whistling, and they were all looking at her.

 

“North!” the voice demanded insistently. Shaking her head, Sonya saw that it was the referee who had been speaking. He was standing in the center of the ring with John. Sonya partner was beaming like an idiot.

 

“You did it LM!” he roared at her as he beckoned her over. Sonya was moving mechanically it seemed but she eventually found herself standing to the referee’s right as he raised both her and John’s hands. He held them there for a moment before releasing them and turning to address Sonya first.

 

“I’m looking forward to seeing you on the main roster one day,” he said before exiting the ring. 

 

It was finally coming home to Sonya, they’d won!

  
  



	33. Chapter 33: A New Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonya is confronted with an uncomfortable truth about her new world.

It was an odd thing for Sonya to enter the Forge the day after she and John Crisom won its first ever mix tag tournament. She’d actually be nervous about the night before, wondering how people would react.

 

As it turned out, most people didn’t react at all.

 

Sonya got a few congratulations and some admiring looks, even some open curiosity. But most people seemed to have moved on already. And, for the most part, Sonya was glad to move on with her. But then a small, new, part of her character would speak up. This new facet of her character would say: “ _ But wait, don’t I deserve SOME recognition? _ ”

 

“ _ Of course not, you’re just you,”  _ the voice that had been her constant companion for years spoke up in her mind. But then the new voice answered.

 

“ _ But I won.” _

 

Sonya was unsure how she felt about all of this, but she did that her training schedule wouldn’t stop because of it. So she changed as she always did and made her way to her assigned classroom. When she arrived she was surprised to find Gail Kim waiting for her.

 

“North, come with me,” the instructor said before leading Sonya away from the room and towards the stairs. Questions exploded into Sonya’s head at this, questions and concerns. Had she done something wrong? 

 

“Umm...where are we going?” she asked tentatively after a minute.

 

“Upstairs, you have a special engagement this morning,” Kim said casually over her shoulder. 

 

“Special?” Sonya asked, her voice even smaller now. Her concerns rapidly solidifying into an absolute certainty that she was in trouble for something. But she could not think of what it might be.

 

“North?” Kim asked, without turning around or stopping.

 

“Yes?” Sonya squeaked.

 

“Will you relax? I can feel the tension up here,” Kim answered. Sonya tried, but telling her to relax was like playing the elephant game. If she’d been able to turn it off and on then her life would be markedly easier. 

 

“I’m-” she started to say but was cut off.

 

“And DON’T apologize, please. You do that far too much. Just relax, you’re only doing an interview,” Kim said. Though as a way of trying to get Sonya to relax, this was a poor choice.

 

An interview? Meaning she’d had to speak to a total stranger? With this hanging over her head, Sonya completed the walk with Kim with the air of someone marching off to the gallows.

 

Kim eventually stopped outside a conference room and pointed Sonya in saying: “Relax! This is all for you.” With that, she left Sonya staring at the door as though it were the gates of Tartarus. When she did finally manage to open the door she found the room already occupied by three people. Two of whom she’d met, and the final whom she’d seen before.

 

“Are you Sonya North? You have to be, the hair,” Lena Yada (the third person) said as she rounded the table and offered Sonya a hand. 

 

“Y-yes?” Sonya said, already intimidated to meet the PWF’s top interviewer and host. 

 

“They told me you have a tendency to get nervous, don’t worry we’ll make this very casual,” Yada said before turning and nodding to the rooms other occupants. “I’m told you’ve meet Goose before and you obviously know your tag team partner,” Yada said.

 

“Nice to see you again,” Goose said happily, he was standing in the corner fiddling with a large camera. 

 

“Hi…” Sonya said weakly.

 

“Look at this LM, we’re big time now,” John Crisom said as he stepped forward hugged Sonya, and action that completely engulfed her.

 

“I like this energy…” Yada said happily from where she was standing “...Don’t lose this!” Sonya wasn’t sure how to answer this but thankfully, Goose stepped in.

 

“Lena, do you want this over your shoulder or do you want a two-shot?” he asked.

 

“Let’s do a two-shot since it’s just one camera,” Yada answered after considering for a moment.

 

“Alright then you two, John if you could sit here and Sonya here, let me check things,” the videographer said he returned to his camera. He looked through it for a moment before nodding to Yada.

 

“Alright, we’ll use the intro I filmed earlier and then we can just cut into the interview footage,” she said as she sat down in her chair. Sonya was feeling very shabby next to the interviewer. Yada was in a very professional in a red blouse and black slacks ensemble, while Sonya was wearing leggings and a tank top. 

 

“Would you mind clipping this to your shirt?” Goose asked as he handed Sonya a small microphone. Sonya just stared at it dumbly until Yada reached forward and clipped it to the inside of one of her tank top straps.

 

“It’s going to be easy,” she assured Sonya. But Sonya barely heard her. She was waging a fierce internal battle with herself in an effort to fight down the rising sense of panic in her gut. This kept her so occupied that she vaguely heard the short briefing Yada was giving them about how to act during the interview.

 

“Remember though, this isn’t kayfabe, it’s all you so just be authentic,” the interviewer told them.  Sonya nodded, and then let her eyes fall to her lap. 

  
Then it began.

 

“John Crisom, Sonya North, thanks so much for sitting down with me today for this special PWF.com exclusive. You two just won the first ever Forge mixed tag tournament, how does that feel?” Yada asked.

 

John jumped in first to Sonya’s immense gratitude. “It feels incredible you know? It would have felt incredible if it had been the second of the fiftieth tournament but the fact that we’re the first ever kind of makes it extra special.”

 

“Do you feel the same way, Sonya?”

 

Sonya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She still wasn’t looking up and knew she didn’t have long. Taking one more slow breath, she did something that felt insane. She played a hunch. When she finally did look up, she was wearing the playful and yet enigmatic smile that she’d worked on for her first promo with John. 

  
Looking Yada directly in the eye, she gave a silent but enthusiastic nod.

 

Yada’s eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second but no more. The woman was a pro and she knew how to take things in stride. Without missing a step she asked her next question.

 

“As you two are aware, most of what goes on in the Forge is kept very secret. In fact, this interview is an almost unprecedented amount of access to the inside. What does it mean to you two that the Forge staff had chosen to trust you in this way?”

 

Before John could speak, Sonya leaned over and beckoned for him to bend down. He complied and Sonya whispered into his ear for several moments. John nodded several times before his big grin appeared on his face. Straightening her turned back to Yada and said: “We both know just how much faith they are putting in us, and we are going to make damned sure that it’s not too heavy for us.”

 

The rest of the interview proceeded along these lines. Yada would ask her questions, John would answer and then Sonya. For her part, Sonya would usually just nod or smile mysteriously, but occasionally she would whisper her answer to John. Initially, Sonya had been worried that Yada might stop the interview after one or two such occurrences. To her pleasant surprise, the interviewer seemed to approve. 

 

They were closeted in the conference room for about fifteen minutes before Yada brought the interview to a close.

 

“You two have made history in a few ways at the Forge, and that’s given you a platform that most of your fellow students would love to have. If you could give the rest of the PWF a message, what would it be?”

 

John didn’t have to think about it. “I’m telling everyone to watch out because the Big Grizz is out hunting! And he’s coming!”

 

“Sonya?” Yada asked.

 

Sonya put on her smile again as she made sure to appear as though she were thinking. Then she brightened and turned to John. She whispered five words into his ear. This made his smile bigger than ever as she turned back to Yada and said: “There’s a blue moon rising.”

 

\----------

 

The next day, Sonya arrived at the Forge with Britney and was met at the door by Noelle and Marie. Her friends had an eager energy about them that made Sonya sure they were sitting on some big news. 

 

“Hey there, superstar,” Noelle said to Sonya as she approached.

 

“What?” Sonya asked, confused.

 

“Marie?...” Noelle asked theatrically “...If I were to ask you who the PWF’s newest internet sensation is...who would you say?”

 

“This  _ pequeña perra  _ right here!” Marie said excitedly.

 

“What are you two talking about?” Britney asked from beside Sonya.

 

“Look!” Noelle said eagerly as she thrust her phone toward Sonya. Taken aback, Sonya took the phone and looked down. She found a picture of herself staring back at her. The picture was of her carefully practice smile, someone had added the caption: “When you did it, but no one else knows.”

 

“What?” Sonya started to ask but then Marie gave her a friendly push. 

 

“You’re a meme now  _ Azul! _ Well, you’re lots of memes, but there’s more!” she said. Noelle took her phone back and tapped on its screen for a few moments before handing it back. Sonya saw that she was now looking at a twitter feed sorted by a hashtag. The hashtag was #BlueMoonRising.

 

“Oh my god,” Britney said with a chuckle from over Sonya’s shoulder. This was exactly how Sonya felt as she read down the list.

 

“ _ Holy shit! Who is this girl? Where can we find out more?” _

 

_ “#BlueMoonRising is #Mood” _

 

_ “I’m honestly hoping she stays mysterious forever!” _

 

_ “Sonya North = #FutureOfThePWF: _

 

_ “PLEASE! Come to Omega! I’m so sick of Salama!” _

 

_ “Alpha needs Sonya!” _

 

Sonya read several more tweets, trying to wrap her head around what she was seeing. She was just a student at the Forge, a nobody. Yet here were people she’d never met, people from around the world, talking about her like...she wasn’t. Sonya didn’t have words to describe how she was feeling right now, but ‘surreal’ would probably have done in a pinch.

 

“Haven’t we been saying since day one that you’re a superstar?” Britney asked her happily. Sonya didn’t react right away as she stared down at the evidence that her interview had done far more than she’d expected.

 

“You know I have to get you on my channel now right?” Noelle told her as she got her phone back.

 

“Yeah...uh...sure…” Sonya said, not really knowing what she was saying.

 

Sonya had spent most of her life doing her best to blend in. To hide along the edges of rooms, to not attract attention. It was where and how she felt most comfortable. But this new development was scary to that girl how wanted to hide. This meant that...things might have to change.

 

Was she ready for that?

 

And even if she wasn’t, maybe she should be?

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonya continues to go strong! She always will, she's my first born OC and I will spoil her forever!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this, guys, it means a lot. I'd be very humbled if you'd leave a comment or a kudo, but I just love that you read about my girl!

**Author's Note:**

> I've been toying with the idea of writing a wrestling work based around an original character for a long time and I finally decided to take the plunge! I really hope you guys enjoyed meeting Sonya as much as I liked writing her. I'm hoping that we can all go on her journey with her and, eventually, that she'll have some fun companions written by you talented folks!
> 
> If you liked this one, and I hope you did, please consider giving my other main work: "The Four Horsewomen of Las Vegas" starring the WWE's own Bayley, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch a read. We're closing in on 3,000 hits and I'd LOVE to have you on board for that journey as well! 
> 
> As I said above I'd love to talk to anyone whose interested in maybe writing their own character within what I'm calling the 'PWF universe'. 
> 
> I'd love to chat with you in comments! Let me know what you thought of this one. Is Sonya every going to get out of her own way? Realize her own gifts?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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